Unexpected Challenges
by Bgrangerweasley
Summary: Companion to "Life Unexpected". These are little one-shots about Hermione and Ron's first born and their lives as a family. Rate T (mainly because of Ron's language) Diclaimer: I do not own J.K. Rowling characters or anything. Just the plots.
1. Meeting Belle

***Meeting Belle***

The battle was finally over. Voldemort had been defeated and everything was well. People was helping the wounded and consoling the ones who lost loved ones, including his own family. Ron just looked at Fred who was lying on the floor. He couldn't believe his brother was dead and that he wasn't going to come back. He was never going to meet his niece. And there it hit him: Hermione and the baby. Last time he saw them, he had made sure they were safe in the infirmary. He had told Hermione that he was going to keep fighting and that he was going to come back to them. Now was the time. He turned around to go there when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see whose was it and noticed it was Harry.  
"You going to see them?" Harry asked. Ron smiled a bit and nodded.  
"You should come too. You'll love her. She's gorgeous! She got Mione's eyes and her nose." He said with a big grin on his face. Harry smiled a little.  
"Then, let's go." He said.  
"Where are you boys going?" Mr Weasley asked them.  
"The hospital wing. Hermione's there." Harry said. Mrs Weasley looked at the, concerned.  
"Is she alright?" She asked sniffing.  
"She's perfect. In fact, you should come with us to see her. There's someone there you need to meet too." Ron said eagerly. His parents looked at him, confused. Just then did he realise that his parents knew nothing about him and Hermione's news.  
"Just to give you a hint: Hermione and I are together. In fact, we've been together since the night of Bill and Fleur's wedding. And see, something happened and... I know you'll be totally mad because we're young and everything, but... you should really come with us and see it for yourselves." He explained still with a big grin on his face. Yes, many people had lost their lives in battle. Yes, his brother was dead and he felt devastated as the rest of his family. But he couldn't help smiling widely. He was alive and he felt hopeful for the first time in years. And there was a little girl in the arms of the love of his life that was a living proof of it.  
Him and Harry started walking. As soon as they walked in the infirmary, Ron headed to Hermione's bed where Ginny was already talking and laughing. In the moment they saw him, Ginny hugged him and Hermione started to cry.  
"I'm so happy you're OK." Ginny told him. Then they pulled away and she smiled at him. "She's gorgeous, Ron." She added. Harry went and hugged Hermione as she cried, then he looked at the little bundle in her arms.  
"Is this...?" He asked. She sniffed and nodded.  
"This is Belle." She said, smiling, as she placed the baby in his arms.  
"Hermione, she's gorgous!" Harry exclaimed looking at the little ginger baby he was holding his arms. Hermione smiled. Ron went to her and hugged her and kissed her passionately.  
"I was so scared I would never see you again." she cried when they pulled away.  
"I promised you I'd never leave you." he said, wiping her tears with his thumbs, then he kissed her again.  
"Ronald Billius Weasley!" His mother called from the door. Ron pulled away from his girlfriend and went to Harry.  
"Can I have her back, mate?" He asked his friend. Harry placed the baby in his friend's arms. Ron looked at her with so much love! The little girl looked at him with sleepy eyes.  
"Hello, princess! I missed you so much, you know. And I'm so happy to see you. I told you I would be back for you and your..." he said before his mom cut him off.  
"Ronald. Billius. Weasley, what in the name of Merlin is going on in here?" she demanded. Ron just smiled and kissed his baby's head.  
"Mom, dad. I want you to meet someone very special." Ron said walking to them. "This... is Belle Granger-Weasley, your granddaughter." He said, showing his parents the tiny baby girl in his arms.  
"Ronald Weasley, you didn't..." His mother protested before Ron cut her off.  
"Yes, we did. And I know we were irresponsible and everything, but... I don't regret it at all. I love Hermione and she loves me and she's it for me. And just... just look at her." He said placing the baby in his mother's arms.  
Molly Weasley was ready to reprimand her youngest son and his girlfriend for being so irresponsible, but in the second she laid eyes on the little girl in her arms, everything was forgotten. Her very first grandchild was there to remind her and everyone of the sacrifices they had done to end the war and of the bright future they had ahead.


	2. The Miracle Baby

***The miracle baby***

The following day after the battle, Madame Pomfrey ordered Hermione to go to St. Mungo's to get the proper care for her and her newborn daughter. So after getting some well rest, Ron helped her get changed into clean clothes and wrap the baby in blankets. As soon as they were ready, they flooed to the hospital. Healers checked the three of them right away. They healed Ron's wounds and Hermione's ones, and they took the baby into the ICU. They had told Hermione and Ron that the baby was very small and fragile for a newborn, and after Hermione had told them that she had gone through the Cruciatus Curse while pregnant, they all told them that it was less than likely that the baby would survive. It was already a miracle that Belle was alive in the first place. They didn't know the extent of the curse in a newborn so they didn't think she was going to be there for much longer. Healers told Hermione and Ron to prepare for the worst. Hermione couldn't believe it. She blamed herself for Belle being like she was right now. She knew that she hadn't have the proper care and nourishment they needed because they had been on the run the whole time, but she had tried all her best since she had known about the pregnancy. She insisted that she would continue breastfeeding her daughter. She had started already and Belle had no problems at all with it. She was sure it was going to help her gain strength and weight. Healers told them it would do little, but Hermione still insisted. After all, if her baby was going to be with them for little time, she wanted to spend it as close to her as possible.  
In the month that went by, Ron and Hermione never left Belle's side. They were in ICU constantly, holding her, kissing her, feeding her, reading to her, telling her how much they loved her.  
"I still can't believe we made her." Hermione said one day, between marvelled and sad, as they looked at their baby in some sort of incubator.  
"I know. It's incredible! She's the most gorgeous girl in this world... after you, of course." Ron said with a smile.  
"I thought it was not possible to love someone you just met that much." she said.  
"I know what you feel." he said.  
"We can't lose her, Ron." she cried, tears running fast through her pale face. Ron wrapped his arm around her shoulders.  
"We won't. She's stronger every day, Mione. She got your stubborness, your strength and your willingness. She's not going anywhere but home with us." he said.  
"you... you think so?" she sobbed.  
"She survived the Cruciatus Curse and was born in the middle of a bloody war. She's a bloody miracle!" he exclaimed. Hermione just smiled and sniffed.  
"She's _our_ miracle." she said, honding onto him tighter.


	3. Uncle George

***Uncle George***

The high-pitched sound woke him up... again. It'd been a month and a half since the final battle and two weeks since Ron and Hermione came back home from the hospital with their brand new baby. In those two weeks, the baby had done nothing but cry. While most of the times the young couple placed a silencing charm in their room so the crying wouldn't bother anyone (especially at night), sometimes they forgot due to their tiredness. And that day, he thought, was one of those times. So he decided to get out of his room and take matters into his own hands. He downed the stairs to the living room and the scene in front of him shocked him: a very hysterical Hermione was rocking her crying baby back and forth in her arms without any good results. When she turned around to head upstairs, she noticed George looking at her.  
"George, I... I'm so sorry if she woke you up. I... I thought going out of the room would be good for her but... she just... I'm so sorry!" She cried. George just walked to her. He could see that the young mother was exhausted and upset. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, she was wearing a long-sleeved, baggy shirt and a pair of jeans. Her skin was pale and she had bags under her eyes. It seemed like she hadn't had a proper rest in days.  
"Where's everybody?" he managed to ask her between the baby's loud screeches.  
"Your... Your mom is with Andromeda, your dad is at the Ministry, and Ginny and Harry went out on a date..." She explained.  
"What about Ron?" He asked  
"He... He went to the market. We ran out of diapers and neither of us is in a state of duplicating the last one that we have, so..." She sniffed. She looked at her crying daughter with tears in her eyes. She shook her head. George looked at the tiny crying bundle in Hermione's arms: her hair was Weasley red and bushy, and her eyes were big and brown. The perfect combination of them, he thought. Her chubby face was all red from crying so much. He reached out his arms to her and took the baby carefully from a reluctanct but very tired Hermione. He rocked her back and forth and the little girl slowly calmed down. Hermione, however, just burst out into more tears.  
"I... I'm a terrible mother!" She cried.  
"No, you're not." George said. Hermione nodded.  
"I am. I can't calm down my own baby. How pathetic is that!" she exclaimed, brushing her tears with her hands.  
"Hermione, she's a baby. It's all she does apart from eating, pooping and vomiting." he said, but she shook her head vigorously.  
"She doesn't cry with anyone else but me. She... She hates me!" She cried. George wrapped one arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his chest and cried.  
"She doesn't hate you. She just... She feels that you are tired and upset and she doesn't like that. So she lets you know that with her crying. She surely is your daughter, Hermione, but she can't talk yet. So this is the only way she has to tell her mommy that she doesn't like to see her upset." He explained. Hermione sobbed and looked at him.  
"You... You think so?" She asked, sobbing. George nodded.  
"You're a good mom. You're just extremely tired." he said.  
"I just... I never thought it was going to be this hard." she confessed. George just nodded.  
"I... I barely had any sleep in... months." she added.  
"Why don't you lay down for a little while, then? I'll watch her." He said. She hesitated.  
"Are... Are you sure?" She asked looking at her daughter in George's arms. She looked so peaceful. George nodded again.  
"You're exhausted, Hermione. You need some rest. Plus, it'll give me and the little one some time to get to know each other." He said. She nodded and hesitated for a minute, then she laid on the couch while George looked at his niece for the very first time. He couldn't deny it: she was a gorgeous baby.  
"Hello, Belle! I'm your uncle George, your favourite one, of course." He said. The baby yawned and closed her eyes as they heard a pop! sound.  
"I'm sorry I took so long, but..." Ron started as George made him a sign to lower his voice. Ron looked at him, confused. George made a sign with his head, pointing at Hermione. She was curled up in the sofa completely asleep.  
"She's pretty exhausted, so I told her to get some rest. She fell asleep the second she touched that couch." George explained. Ron nodded.  
"How did you... how did you get her to stop crying?" Ron asked, curious and surprised, as he looked at his daughter asleep in his brother's arms.  
"Just took her from Hermione and held her." George explained. Ron sighed. George could see he was frustrated.  
"You guys are doing fine, Ron. You'll get the hang of it. It's only been a month." He said later.  
"Sometimes it's too much." Ron confessed.  
"I know. But if anyone can do this is you... and Hermione. You two can do anything." George said. Ron smiled a little. "Go take your princess upstairs." He said later as Ron picked Hermione up carefully in his arms.  
"She's not my princess." Ron retorted. "She's my queen." He added with a smile. George smiled as well.  
"Go and get some sleep too, bro. You look dreadful." George said. Ron smiled and nodded.  
"You take good care of my princess." He said, then he went upstairs to his room with the mother of his child. George smiled and looked at the baby in his arms, somehow feeling hopeful again.


	4. At the supermarket

***At the supermarket***

If going to the supermarket after work was a real pain on the neck, going with a 6-month-old magical baby was even worse. That's what Hermione discovered one afternoon when she decided to take Belle with her to run some errands. As soon as they arrived to the building, Hermione took a cart and placed the baby on the seat. She was walking down the aisle of vegetables and fruits and checking her list.  
"OK, we need apples, bananas, some oranges, and strawberries." she told the baby as the pushed the cart to the shelves. She was looking through apples when she noticed something weird from the corner or her eye. She turned around to see three bananas, four oranges and some strawberries flying to their cart. Her daughter giggled from her seat and Hermione instantly knew that she was levitating those fruits.  
"No, Belle. You can't do that here!" she explaimed as she grabbed the bananas and put them in a bag. Belle just laughed and looked at the fruit levitating around her. Hermione looked around, trying to grab everything as fast as she could. She was hoping nobody went there or else she'd have to obliviate them. Luckily for her, only a woman turned around the corner and it was by the time Hermione had already finished gathering all the strawberries. She just sighed and put the bags in the cart.  
"We better hurry up before you decide to levitate anything else." Hermione said pushing the cart and walking to the baby products aisle. She suddenly felt her cart crush something and Belle's whimper. She instantly looked at the baby and rubbed her tummy soothingly.  
"It's alright, baby. Mommy's sorry. Everything's alright." she told the baby.  
"I'm sorry." a young woman told her. Her cart was just in front of her. Hermione looked at her.  
"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking." she appologised as the woman walked over to her and looked at the baby. Belle was quiet already and looking at her curiously.  
"What a lovely baby! She's adorable!" the woman said tickling Belle's chin. Hermione smiled a bit.  
"Thank you." she said.  
"I bet you're having fun shopping with your sister." the woman told the baby. Hermione looked at her.  
"She's... not my sister. She's my daughter." she quickly said. The woman looked at her in a shocking and disapproving way, as Hermione noticed.  
"Oh... well... you are... you seem very young." the woman said.  
"We must get going. Sorry." Hermione said pushing the cart to the side so they could keep going. She wasn't 2 steps away from the woman when she saw a carton of milk levitating away from the woman's cart. Hermione glanced at her daughter.  
"Belle! Put it back in the woman's cart, sweetheart." she whispered to the baby. The little girl glanced at her and the carton moved further from the cart. "Belle, I mean it." Hermione warned her. Belle kept looking at her in the most Hermione-ish way. "She surely got that deathly glare from me." Hermione thought. She sighed. Mother and daughter kept glaring at each other, none of them dared to blink either. They stayed that way for a long time until the sound of another cart startled Belle and the milk fell to the floor. Before the woman would notice about her missing milk, Hermione pushed to cart faster to the cashier. Belle just giggled from her seat and Hermione could see some of the things she had got floating out of the cart. Hermione stopped and gave Belle a look making all the products fall back in the cart.  
"We should really go back home before you have the clever idea to take the cash machine with us too." she said pushing the cart again. Belle just gave her an innocent smile. For her, going grocery shopping was really fun.


	5. Ginny and the feverish baby

***Ginny and the feverish baby***

It was the third outfit she tried on that morning. She had to look good. She had to look professional. She had to look the part. She was being interviewed by Gwenog Jones herself AND a professional interviewer from the Harpies. She couldn't fail. She walked out of her and Harry's room on the second floor in Grimmauld Place and downed the stairs to the first. She was about to down the stairs to the ground floor when she heard noises coming from the first floor. She knew for sure that Hermione was up so she knew her friend had to be somewhere. She was surprised to see Belle's room closed. By that time of the day, the little 18-month-old baby was already up having breakfast with her mother in the kitchen, so it was strange to find her in her bedroom already. Ginny opened the door slightly to find a very worried Hermione pacing around the room, holding a very upset and crying Belle.  
"What's wrong?" she asked from the door. Hermione turned her head to look at her.  
"Oh, Ginny... you look great." she said with a shy smile.  
Ginny smiled a little. "You sure? It's the third one I've tried." she asked. Hermione nodded.  
"Positive." she said as she rubbed Belle's back. The little girl just rested her head on her mother's shoulder and kept crying.  
"What's wrong with Belle?" Ginny asked worried, walking to them.  
"Her first-year molars are really bothering her, plus she threw up twice in the last hour and she's running a fever." Hermione said at the verge of tears.  
"Have you given her a potion?" Ginny asked. Hermione shook her head.  
"We ran out of both of them. And I can't make more. It'll take me days, and I don't have days for her to calm down. I just... I really wish he were here." she said crying. Ginny rubbed her friend's back.  
"He'll be back soon, you know. Both of them. It's only been 5 days." she said. Ron and Harry were out on their first Auror mission. They had been gone for nearly a week and they still had one more week to go. Hermione was more than worried about them, especially about Ron, and it was obvious that Belle felt her father's absence around the house.  
"I know... I know. But I can't help it, Gin. When something like this happens, I just need him." Hermione said, sniffing, then she sighed. The crying seemed to fade a bit and she looked at her daughter. "Seems the cooling charm is working a little." she said as she took the cloth that Belle had on her head. She laid the baby back in her crib and, with a little wand movement, charmed the toys so they would float around it like a mobile.  
"Would you watch her for a little while? I know you have your interview in a couple of hours, but I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." Hermione told Ginny. The redheaded girl looked at her with big eyes.  
"What... where are you going?" she asked, hesitant.  
"Diagon Alley. I'll be out for 40 minutes, an hour at least. I'm going to get those potions for her. I already owled the Ministry and told them I'd be staying home today, so you won't have to watch her for long. Just until I buy her things." Hermione said. Ginny nodded.  
"sure. No problem." she said, smiling a bit.  
Hermione gave her more instructions and left a little while later. Ginny just stared at the little girl in the crib. She seemed to be ok, so Ginny went downstairs to get everything ready for her interview. The doorbell rang and Ginny opened it. There they were: Gwenig Jones and Sally Stretfield, the interviewer. Ginny invited them in and offered them some tea. As she was going to sit down on the couch, they heard a faint cry coming from upstairs. "I'll be back in a minute." she told them, then she went upstairs to the first floor and walked in her niece's room. Belle was sat in the crib, crying. All her toys were on the floor. "Ok, big girl! What's the matter, sweetie?" Ginny asked as she picked up the baby in her arms. She noticed the little girl was warm again.  
"Poor little darling! You're burning up! How about we go downstairs for a nice cool drink?" she said. Belle just grabbed onto her aunt's shirt and cried, like asking her to make her pain go. Ginny just kissed her head and took her downstairs. When they got to the kitchen, she tried to give Belle some water without much success. The little girl kept pushing the baby bottle away from her. "Ok, where is that round thing that Hermione has for your teeth?" she asked herself. She remembered seeing Hermione putting the lilac teething ring on the fridge every morning so it was cold enough to sooth Belle's gum pains. She accioed the round thing and gave it to the baby who instantly grabbed it and put it in her mouth. Ginny sighed, relieved, and went back to the living room. She put the baby in her playpen and sat down.  
"Is she yours?" the interviewer asked looking at the redheaded baby.  
"Oh, no! She's my niece, actually. I'm watching her until her mom comes from the appoticary's." Ginny said. In the moment Belle heard the word 'mom', she instantly perked up and looked at her aunt.  
"Mommy?" she called.  
Ginny got up quickly and went to her.  
"Mommy's coming really soon, darling! She went to get your potions." she said. But in spite of Ginny's reassuring tone, Belle just kept calling for her mother. When she realised that her mom wasn't actually around, she burst into tears.  
"It's alright, big girl! Look! Look at your hippogrif!" she said flicking her wand and making the stuffed animal in the playpen float in the air. Belle didn't seem to care much about her flying toy. Her crying got more intense, causing several vases and windows to break as well as the interviewer's glasses. Ginny grabbed the cloth from the playpen and put it on the baby's forehead, trying to down her fever, but it didn't work. Belle got more upset and all the books started to fly out of the shelves as well as the cushions from the armchairs. It was in that moment when Hermione walked in and saw her living room in a complete chaos. She took out her wand and shouted "Reparo!" to all the vases, windows and even the interviewer's glasses. Then she shouted "Petrificus totalus" to the books and cushions that were flying around, and with a flick of her wand she put everything back in its place.  
"Merlin! What happened in here?" she asked Ginny after a while. The readheaded girl picked up the crying baby and went to her. Hermione took her immediately. "She's warm again." she said, looking for the potion in her bag.  
"She got quite upset when she noticed you weren't here. And to top that, they came earlier for my interview." Ginny said.  
"I'm so sorry I took so long, Gin. There were so many people in the store and they couldn't find the right potion and..." Hermione started as she opened the tap of a little blue bottle. She put some liquid in it and gave it to Belle, who was still crying. Seconds later, there was a blue glow that emerged from the little girl's cheeks and she just started to sob. "Well, it went down a bit." Hermione said. Ginny nodded. "I'm so sorry about the mess, Gin. We'll go upstairs so you can continue with the interview." she said later.  
"It's alright, Hermione." Ginny said. Hermione took the baby upstairs and Ginny went back to her interview. An hour or so later, the door of the pink and white room was open and Ginny walked to the rocking chair in which Hermione was sat with Belle, a big book on her lap.  
"How is she feeling?" she asked. Hermione looked up at her.  
"Better. I gave her the pain potion when we got here and she settled. Her fever went down, and I managed to give her some water to drink and she seemed to accept it alright." the bushy-haired girl said as she kissed her daughter's head. "How was your interview? I hope we didn't screw it up that much." she said.  
Ginny smiled and showed her a big brown envelope. Hermione looked at her, confused.  
"They're the training schedules, strategies and all the papers I need. Training starts next month!" she said excited. Hermione smiled.  
"Ginny, that's wonderful!" she exclaimed.  
"They were impressed at my quick responses to the baby's cry, and my Quidditch skills, of course." Ginny said  
"you heard that? Auntie Ginny's playing for the Harpies!" Hermione told Belle. The little girl gave her aunt a big smile. Ginny was happy that she got a spot in the Harpies, but nothing made her happier than her niece's healthy smile.


	6. Loss

***Loss***

Belle was only 5 when she saw her mother crying without console one morning. Her father was holding her tight, trying to make her feel better even though he himself had been crying too. Belle was sure it wasn't because of her. She had played quietly in her room every day after school, she had done her homework and even ate her vegetables. So, there was no reason, she thought, that her parents would be upset. Only a few days before she had overheard her parents talking happily about a baby in her mom's belly. Now, they were both upset. So when Ron went to put her down in her room that night, she decided it was time to ask him.  
"Daddy, why are you and mommy so sad?" she asked. Ron just looked at her. How was he going to explain his 5-year-old that her mother had lost her future sibbling? "did the baby she had in her tummy hurt her?" she asked. Ron looked at her, shocked.  
"How did you... Where did you hear that mommy had a baby in her tummy?" he asked her.  
"I heard you and her talking about it. Did the baby hurt her?" she asked again. Ron sighed and hesitated for a minute. He so wished Hermione was there to explain everything to their daughter. She always knew what to say when Belle went to them with her neverending questions.  
"You see, Belle, the baby... the baby that mommy had was very, very small and... it couldn't stay in mommy's tummy because it wasn't strong enough, and..." he started, caressing her red curls before she interrupted him.  
"Wasn't mommy feeding the baby?" she asked.  
"She... she was, but... sometimes... sometimes that's not enough, and well... the baby had to leave." he said, closing his eyes so no tears came down. The last thing he needed was his daughter seeing him more upset.  
"Where did the baby go, daddy?" she asked.  
Ron just looked at her.  
"Heaven, sweetheart. With uncle Fred and Teddy's parents." he said.  
"so... it's an angel now, right?" she asked. Ron looked at her, surprised at her fast conclusion. He smiled a little.  
"Yes, it's an angel. Now, time to sleep, baby. It's late for little princesses to be up." he said, kissing her daughter's head and tucking her in.  
The next morning, Hermione woke up to find her daughter sitting next to her. She had a big book on her lap and a big smile on her face. Hermione faked a smile. She didn't really feel like smiling in that moment, but she didn't want to worry or upset Belle.  
"Hi, baby girl. what are you doing here?" she asked.  
Belle just kissed her mother's cheek.  
"You read to me when I feel sad. So I'm going to read to you so you get happy again, mommy." she said matter-of-factly. Hermione smiled, this time a shy real smile. Only her little, innocent Belle could get her smile in the worst moment of her life.


	7. Christmas announcement

***Christmas announcement***

Eveything was quiet in the house. Finally, Belle had given in to her Christmas excitement and went to bed. So now Hermione and Ron were putting all the presents under the tree.  
"Have we got everything ready?" she asked when Ron had finished placing the last box. He stood up and nodded.  
"Now... it's time for Santa's treat." he said walking to the coffee table and grabbing the plate of cookies and the glass of butterbeer that his 6-year-old daughter had left for Father Christmas.  
"I can't believe you convinced Belle that Santa would prefer butterbeer instead of milk with his cookies." Hermione said.  
"Well, Hermione... Santa's always around kiddy stuff. He needs some grown-up treat for himself once in a while." he said, smirking at her. She giggled and went to the perfectly decorated Christmas tree by the window. She looked for the small box that she had hidden there earlier that day. When she found it, she took it and gave it to Ron. He looked at her, kinda confused. She looked back.  
"I thought we were exchanging presents in the bedroom, Mrs Weasley." he said raising an eyebrow and smiling seductively. She rolled her eyes.  
"I know. But I want you to open this one first." she said.  
He left the plate and the glass on the table and opened the box. Hermione looked at him, eager to see his reaction. His eyes opened as wide as his smile.  
"A Chudley Cannons' T-shirt!" he exclaimed as he took it out of the box. He frowned and looked at the piece of cloth, confused. "Are you sure it's the right size, love? It's pretty small." he said.  
"That's because it's not for you exactly." she said, bitting her lower lip to avoid telling him right away.  
"Well, it's small for Belle too." he added as he noticed a card that fell on the floor.  
"It's not for Belle either." she said as he picked the card up and looked at it. A smile was starting to show again in his face. He looked at her. She smiled and nodded. He stood up, picked her up in his arms and kissed her passionately as he swirled her around the living room.

The next morning, the three Weasleys were up in the living room opening presents. Belle was more than excited with everything she got: dolls, books and even a toy wand. As she was opening the last box, Hermione and Ron exchanged looks. They knew what that present was. Belle took it out and showed it to them. It was a pink T-shirt that said "the best big sister in the world" in big, bright white letters. She read it, then she looked at her parents.  
"Why did Santa bring me this?" she asked.  
"Because it's true." Ron said with a big smile on his face. Belle shook her head.  
"I'm not a big sister." she said. Hermione smiled.  
"Well, not right now, baby. But in some months you will be. See, there's a tiny baby growing inside mommy's tummy right now." she explained as Belle sat in between them on the couch.  
"Like James was inside Aunt Ginny last year?" Belle asked. Hermione nodded.  
"Exactly like that. So... the baby's going to grow here until it's time for he or she to come out." she said laying a hand on her stomach. Belle rested her head on her mom's belly.  
"Is it really in here?" she asked.  
Hermione nodded.  
"I don't hear it. It must be really small... or asleep." the little girl concluded. Hermione laughed a bit.  
"I guess so. How about we get ready to go to grandma and grandpa's? You can wear your new T-shirt." Hermione suggested. Belle kissed her mom's cheek, then took her present and went upstairs to her room.

Everyone was already at The Burrow when Ron, Hermione and Belle arrived.  
"We were wondering where you three were." Mr Weasley said.  
"Wrapping something up." Hermione said as her and Ron took their cloaks off. Belle just ran to where everyone was. Hermione and Ron, followed by Molly and Arthur, went behind her. Belle turned around and looked at her parents.  
"Can I show them now, mommy?" she asked.  
Everybody looked at them, between eager and confused.  
"Show us what, sweetie pie?" Molly asked. Hermione looked at her daughter and nodded. She went and helped Belle take her coat off. Everyone gasped when they read what was inscribed in Belle's t-shirt.  
"Is it... is it true?" Molly asked, her eyes filling with tears. Ron and Hermione nodded, smiling. Everyone went and congratulated them.  
"Why iz everyone zo 'appy?" Victoire asked Belle. Belle looked at her cousin and smiled.  
"I'm going to be a big sister like you, Tory." she said proudly. Victoire sighed.  
"Don't be too 'appy about it. Domi iz a real nightmare most of the times." Victoire said referring to her little sister.  
Belle didn't mind. She was happy she was going to share her life and her things with a sibbling. Maybe she could teach the new baby to read and play Exploding Snap.


	8. Yule Ball argument

***Yule Ball argument***

She didn't get it. He asked her to the Yule Ball, she had said yes and they had gone together. They had a lovely time there and he even kissed her goodnight ON THE LIPS. So she didn't understand why, a week later, he wasn't trying to hold her hand whenever they walked to a lesson or he barely talked to her during meals. Didn't he like her anymore? Did she misread the signs of that night? Did she do something wrong? She was absorted in her own thoughts when a dark-haired boy approached her.  
"Belle? Do you have a minute?" he asked. She snapped out of reality and looked at him.  
"Hey, Justin! sure, tell me." she said as he sat next to her. They talked and laughed and she didn't notice that Adam was looking at them with a very angry look on his face. He left to Gryffindor's common room, and when she walked in fifteen minutes later, he decided to confront her.  
"I can't believe you!" he shouted. She looked at him, confused.  
"Excuse me?" she asked.  
"You and Justin had a nice time together?" he asked. She glared at him.  
"How do you know I was with Justin?" she asked.  
"I saw you two talking and laughing in the library." he said.  
"You were spying on me?" she asked, incredously.  
"Don't be silly, Belle! I just..." he started.  
"You just what, Adam? Because if you saw us, it's because you were spying on me." she asked, squinting her eyes.  
"That's not the point. The point is... you were with Justin." he said.  
"We were talking. So?" she asked.  
"So... why were you talking and laughing with another guy?" he asked, indignant.  
"I wanted to and he approached me! And it's not like we're dating or something! He was just talking to me!" she snapped.  
He sighed, annoyed. "You were flirting with him!" he said. She looked at him, shocked.  
"I wasn't! He's my friend's boyfriend, for Merlin's beard! Besides, what if I was flirting with some guy? Why do you care?" she shouted.  
"BECAUSE I FANCY YOU, BELLE!" he shouted back. She looked at him, shocked, and for the first time, she was speechless. He sighed.  
"I like you... a lot. Probably since the first time we met. And... not like a friend. Like... more." he said, looking down at his shoes.  
"Why... why didn't you say anything?" she managed to ask.  
"I asked you to the ball, didn't I?" he said. she nodded. "And we kissed." he whispered. She blushed and nodded quickly.  
"Then... why have you been avoiding me since then? I thought I had done something wrong and that you didn't like me anymore." she said, looking down to the floor. He went to her and took her hands in his.  
"I was an idiot, Belle. I was scared that I had screwed things up after that kiss and that you may not feel the same way about me." he said. She upped her head to him, and to his surprise, her lips crashed into his. It was short and sweet.  
"Yes, you're an idiot, Adam Weston. But... I fancy you that way." she said, smiling. He smiled back and kissed her again.


	9. School shopping

*** School shopping ***

If there was something that Belle loved as much as reading was working in Flourish and Blotts as a book seller. Not only did it give her the opportunity to read amazing books but also it gave her time to study. It was also near the flat that her and her boyfriend Adam had been sharing for more than a year, and it was about three blocks from her father and uncle's joke shop. It was the middle of July already, which meant that many wizarding families where going to be around to buy the books that they needed for their children's new year at Hogwarts. She was in the front desk one day when a tall, blonde woman walked in with her blonde and pale son. He couldn't be older than 11. Belle looked at them and immediately recognized them. She gave them a broad smile as they approached her.  
"Good afternoon, Mrs Malfoy! It's lovely to see you. I was about to call you later to let you know that your new books have arrived." she said as Astoria Malfoy smiled at her.  
"Thank you, dear." she just said as the little boy approached them. That day the shop was particularly crowded.  
"Hey, Scorp! You look taller than the last time I saw you!" Belle greeted him. The boy smiled.  
"Guess what, Belle? I got my letter! I'm going to Hogwarts!" he said excitedly. Belle held her hand high so he could give her a high five.  
"Awesome, dude! Then you'll sure meet my sister there. She got her letter too." she told him, then she turned to Astoria. "We have a special pack for first-year students with all the books they'll need. I'll get them for you, if you want." she said. Astoria just nodded and, with a flick of her wand, Belle levitated a big brown package and a small parcel to the desk.  
"Do you have _Hogwarts: A History_ already?" Scorpious asked, eagerly. Belle smiled.  
"The new edition just arrived. The preface written by McGonagall is great!" she said pointing at the shelf where the new arrivals were. Scorpious' smile grew bigger and he ran to the book and started reading it as his mother paid for all the rest. The door was opened again and a redheaded girl ran in wildly to the front desk.  
"BELLE, I GOT MY LETTER!" she shouted, panting. Belle looked at her and laughed.  
"I know. You practically floo shouted that at me this morning. Even Adam's parents heard you and they live four blocks away from us." she joked. Astoria Malfoy smiled at Belle, took her parcels, then went to her son.  
"I'm SO excited! I already got my wand! Look!" the girl said as she showed her her new beech wood wand.  
"Nice one, Rosie!" Belle said. She couldn't help but smile at her excited 11-year-old little sister. She remembered the excitement of getting her letter, the thrill of walking around Diagon Alley and buying her school supplies, the eagerness inside her when she got home with her new books ready to be read. It was great seeing Rose feeling the same things. Hermione walked in the shop in that moment.  
"Hi, sweetheart! We're here for..." she started before Rose interrupted her.  
"MY BOOKS!" she shrieked excitedly. Belle flickled her wand and levitated another brown parcel to the desk.  
"Mom, the new edition of _Hogwarts: A History_ arrived. McGonagall's preface is outstanding!" she said. Hermione smiled. She paid for Rose's books.  
"How's everything?" Hermione asked.  
"Busy. Seems everyone decided to come and buy everything today. I mean, they still have a month before the train leaves." Belle said.  
Hermione laughed a bit. "It's the excitement of getting the letter. Your aunt Ginny will pop up later with Albus, by the way." she said. Belle just nodded.  
"As long as James doesn't set the History section on fire again, we're good." Belle said. Hermione laughed at her daughter's comment.


	10. Sisters talk

***Sisters talk***

14-year-old Rose was in a pickle. As every teenager, she was experiencing changes, and although she was close to her mother and they talked about nearly everything, she felt like she couldn't talk about this with her and that she needed advice from someone else. So she got her head in the fireplace and floo called 245 Osmond Street in London.  
"Hello? Belle? Are you there?" she asked.  
The curly head of a 5-year-old appeared.  
"Auntie Rosie!" she exclaimed.  
"Hey, Ami! How's my favourite little girl doing?" Rose asked. Amelia smiled.  
"Good." she just said.  
"Is mommy around? I'd like to talk to her." Rose said. Amelia's head disappeared and some minutes later a new face appeared in the fireplace.  
"Hi, Rosie Posey! How are you?" Belle asked.  
"I... kinda need to talk to you. Can I come over?" Rose asked.  
"Sure." Belle said. She stepped away from the fireplace and a while later Rose landed in her living room. Amelia ran to her and hugged her tight.  
"Auntie Rosie! Come to the tea party!" the little girl urged her pulling her hand.  
"Maybe later, sweetie. Right now mommy and auntie Rosie need to talk, alright?" Belle told her affectionately. Amelia pouted, sighed and went back to her playing.  
"She's something!" Rose exclaimed. Belle smiled.  
"She'll be a nightmare to the teachers at Hogwarts." she sighed. "So... what's going on?" she asked later as they walked to the kitchen.  
"Well... I just... It's... how did you know that you... had feelings for a boy?" Rose asked, blushing. Belle looked at her as she served two cups of tea.  
"Anyone in particular or boys in general?" she asked giving Rose one of the cups.  
"Let's say... your male best friend?" Rose asked. Belle smiled a bit.  
"Well, whenever I was near him, I felt butterflies in my tummy and my mind went blank and my heart started to race so fast I was afraid it was going to come out of my chest." she explained. Rose giggled. "I had another male friend, but the same thing didn't happen when I was around him. It only happened around this particular boy I liked." Belle continued. Rose nodded and sipped her tea.  
"I feel... all those things around him, and he already knows about it. We... kinda been dating since Christmas." Rose confessed. Belle looked at her with big eyes.  
"That's great, Rosie! So... what's the problem?" she asked.  
"Well... see... the boy I'm dating is... Scorpious. Scorpious Malfoy." Rose said. Belle's smile grew wider.  
"I knew it! Teddy owes me 5 galleons." she exclaimed. Rose looked at her, confused. "I mean... it's just... you two have A LOT in common, and you speak A LOT about him in your letters." Belle said.  
"I... I also speak about Albus and Eddie!" Rose retorted.  
"Yeah, but not as much as you talk about Scorpious, sis." Belle said. Rose sighed. "He's a very sweet kid. Why is it a problem again?" Belle asked.  
"He's a Malfoy! And you know how our parents feel about them!" Rose exclaimed.  
Belle sighed. "I know how dad feels about them, but I think mom's over it. I mean, she already forgave them and everything." she said.  
"So... you think they'll be happy for me?" Rose asked shyly.  
"Of course they will, Rosie! You're their little girl! They're going to support you no matter what. Just to play safe, tell mom first, so when you tell dad, she'll be there to cool him off and talk some sense into him." Belle said, then laughed a bit at Rose's scared expression.  
"Don't worry, Rose! He'll be upset either way, and not because Scorp is a Malfoy but because... well... he's your boyfriend." Belle added. Rose nodded. She blushed at the sound of the word 'boyfriend'. "He was quite nasty to Adam when they first met. A couple of 'bloody hells' and cold glares. I think it's a dad's thing to be upset about their daughter's boyfriends." she then said as they heard a cry coming from upstairs. Belle excused herself and went there while Rose thought about everything. Maybe it wasn't going to be that bad when her parents knew about her boyfriend. After all, Belle had gone through it and it was ok.


	11. The boyfriend

***The boyfriend***

"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted. It was late at night and they were getting ready to go to bed. "Bloody freakin hell" he said again as she just changed her clothes. Hermione knew he had restrained himself from saying something unpleasant the whole evening and now he needed to let everything out.  
"A boyfriend! A freakin boyfriend!" he shouted.  
"well... we saw that coming. I mean... she's quite close to him and they've become closer through the years. It's only logical." she said. He glared at her.  
"Logical? Logical? She's a baby, Hermione!" he exclaimed.  
"She's not a baby, Ronald. She's 14, same age we were when we realised we sort of had feelings for each other." she said.  
"But... but... we never dated at that age. And she has a boyfriend?! And not just any boyfriend... A MALFOY!" he shouted. She raised an eyebrow and looked at him.  
"He's a very sweet boy, very nice and polite. A real gentleman, if you ask me." she said. He gave her another look. "What? It's the truth, Ronald! He's nothing like his father and he proved it tonight. Even your granddaughters liked him and you know how hard Lizzie is with strangers." she said referring to Belle's youngest daughter. Ron sighed.  
"But... but... Rosie... she's..." he started.  
"She's not a little girl anymore, Ron. You have to get used to that. We went through the same with Belle and you're ok with it now." she said.  
"Because Adam is not a Malfoy. But that doesn't mean I like him now. I still don't. He knocked up my daughter twice." he said.  
"and married her three years ago. And he makes her happier than we've ever seen her. Same thing with Rose. When have you seen Rose as smiley as she was today?" she asked. Ron thought about it. Hermione went and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Scorpious makes Rose happy. Yes, he makes her as happy as Adam makes Belle and as happy as you make me. And I know for sure that all you want is for Rosie to be happy, right?" she said. He sighed and nodded.  
"What if he breaks her heart?" he asked.  
"what if he doesn't?" she asked. He sighed. "We'll just have to let them be and see. If Rosie chose him it's because he's good. And you know your daughter's judgement is one of the best ones." she said. He smiled.  
"Just like her mother." he said and kissed her.


	12. Boys and Quidditch

***Boys and Quidditch***

15-year-old Teddy knew that something was going on with his cousin, though he wasn't sure what it was yet. First, she didn't want to try for the Quidditch team at school, which he thought was insane because she was a great player. Second, something was definitely off when they were around her friend Adam. It was like she was always flushed and and shy. So he decided it was time for him to find out. He thought about a plan.  
It was a nice and clear day of summer when he decided to put that plan into action. As per usual, James, Albus, Lily and the rest of the little ones were running around the back garden of the Burrow while Teddy was talking and laughing with two of his friends. Victoire ran to 13-year-old Belle as soon as the Granger-Weasleys arrived. She pulled her eldest cousin to the garden as Hermione and Ron looked at her, puzzled.  
"Tory! What's got into you?" Belle demanded.  
"You won't believe who's here." Victoire said, grinning.  
"McGonagall? Hagrid? Professor Longbottom?" Belle asked. Victoire glanced at her, then she pointed at Teddy and his friends. Belle froze. Standing tall and slender next to Teddy was her best friend Adam. Since the middle of the previous year she had realized that she felt slightly different towards Adam. She definitely liked him, but not much as a friend any more. Her heart skipped a beat every time he brushed his hand with hers and she lost her train of thought every time he looked at her with those piercing blue eyes.  
"What the he... I mean... what is he doing here?" She managed to ask.  
"Teddy invited him and Landon over. He said he wanted to have a little team reunion before school starts. I think he's up to something." Victoire said as Teddy looked at them and smiled. He told something to the boys and they looked at them.  
"Bloody hell! They're looking over here!" Belle exclaimed, her ears all red, as Rose and Hugo past next to them.  
"Mommy! Belle said a bad word!" Rose said. Belle glanced at her and Rose smirked.  
"Language, Belle!" Hermione exclaimed. "I swear on Merlin, you're more like your father every day." She said later as she walked to Ginny.  
"Sorry, mom." Belle said, blushing.  
Teddy smiled at the face expression of his cousin. Phase one was done.

After lunch, the Weasleys had decided it was time for a Quidditch match. Somehow, Teddy convinced Belle to play with them. The two of them, Landon, Adam and Fred II were playing against Ron, Ginny, Harry, George and Angelina. The game was very tight after a couples of minutes when the toy snitch was released. Belle was flying around and looking for it when Teddy flew next to her.  
"Hey, Belle! Your boyfriend's looking at you." He said, smiling. As soon as she heard that, her ears got as red as her hair and she looked over her shoulder so fast that she lost balance and started to fall from her broom. She could hear her mother and grandmother screaming at the top of their lungs as the little kids looked at her falling. She was meters away from the ground when she felt arms scooping her body. She turned her head to see that it was Adam who was carrying her in his arms. He landed safely on the ground and placed her there as Hermione, Fleur and Molly ran to them. The three women soon surrounded the young girl and bombarded her with questions.  
"Are you alright?"  
"Are you 'urt?"  
"What were you thinking?"  
"You OK?"  
"What 'appened?"  
"You could have been hurt!"  
Belle felt overwhelmed.  
"I'M FINE, ALRIGHT? FINE!" She shouted, then she ran inside the house and up the stairs to her father's room. She laid on the bed, facing the wall. She felt so embarrassed. How could Teddy say something like that? And most importantly: did he suspect that she was starting to feel different towards Adam? What if Adam himself noticed that? There was a soft knock on the door and then the sound of a it opening.  
"Can I come in?" she heard her mom ask. Belle just shrugged her shoulders but never looked at her. She kept facing the wall. Hermione went and sat at the edge of the bed and rubbed her daughter's back. She knew something had been bothering her daughter since they had arrived that morning, and she had a slight idea of what it was, but she wasn't quite sure yet. She didn't want to pressure Belle into talking about it if she didn't feel like it. She preferred to let her know that she was there for her.  
"Are you mad at me?" Belle asked in a small voice. Hermione raised her eyebrows, surprised by the question.  
"Why should I?" she asked. Belle turned around and looked at her.  
"I got distracted and fell off my broom. I could have gotten hurt and you were really worried." she said. Hermione gave her a small smile and caressed her daughter's cheek.  
"I'm not mad, sweetie. Just concerned. You wanna tell me what happened up there? It seemed like something Teddy said upset you." she said. Belle sighed.  
"He said something to me... and... I couldn't help it. I feel so stupid, mom!" Belle said covering her face with her hands.  
"Why? Because you got distracted?" Hermione asked.  
Belle removed her hands, looked at her and nodded.  
"Everyone saw me turning my head the second Teddy said that _he_ was looking at me, and then _he_ saw me falling and..." she said before Hermione interrupted her.  
"Who's _he_?" she asked. Belle hesitated. Had she said too much? Was it obvious for her mother too? She sighed.  
"Adam. It's just... he's my best friend and... he's never seen me play before. I just... I wanted to..." she started.  
"...impress him." Hermione finished. Belle's eyes got bigger and her ears, redder.  
"I just... He is... I mean..." she stammered. Hermione smiled.  
"It was very brave of him to fly to where you were and save you. I was about to cast a spell, but then I saw him catching you and I felt relieved. He seems to really care about you." she said.  
"You... you think he... he cares?" Belle asked.  
"Well, he wouldn't have risked letting your aunt Ginny score if he didn't." Hermione said.  
Belle just looked at her. She was about to say something when there was another knock on the door. Both women looked at it and Ginny's head appeared.  
"Sorry to interrupt. Just came to check on you, pumpkin." she told Belle. The teenager just smiled.  
"I'm alright, aunt Ginny. Thanks." she said.  
"Good, because there is a very worried young man downstairs asking for you." Ginny said with a smile. Belle's eyes got bigger and she looked at her mom.  
"what... what do I tell him?" she asked. Hermione laughed a little.  
"Tell him everything's fine, sweetheart. Go." she said. Belle nodded.  
"Do I... Do I look too bad?" she asked. Hermione got up and kissed her daughter's head.  
"You look lovely, honey. Now go before he has a heart attack." she said. Belle stood up and walked out the room.  
"First love?" Ginny asked as her and Hermione went downstairs. They looked at the teenage boy and girl talking, him holding her hand and blushing as she smiled shyly and blushed as well. Hermione just smiled.  
"Yeah. First love." she said.


	13. Memories and decisions

*** Memories and decisions ***

Hermione took a deep breath and looked at the front door of the practice. It was a clean, white building with a wooden door and a plaque that said _'Wilkins & Wilkins Dental Practice.'_ This was it. After looking for her parents for nearly two weeks in the big city of Sydney, she was finally there. She thought carefully again about the plan: Ron was going to be sitting in the waiting room with the baby while she went in their office and changed their memories. She recited the incantation again in her head and practised the wand motion once again, just to be sure. It had to be perfect. She couldn't allow herself to make any mistakes. She felt Ron's hand squeezing her shoulder and heard the baby gurgling in his arms.  
"Let's go." he said taking her hand. She took a deep breath and they walked in. They sat in the waiting room and waited for her to be called.  
"I don't think it'll happen, but if she cries..." Hermione started.  
"I change her diaper, check whether she's cold or hot, hold her tight, sing to her, play with her. Don't worry, Mione. I can take care of our daughter. The only thing that I can't do is feeding her, but I don't think she'll be hungry already." Ron interrupted her. Hermione nodded nervously adn caressed her daughter's little hand. Ron squeezed her other hand firmly, as if he was trying to pass some of his strength to her. "You'll do fine in there." he said. She gave him a shy smile.  
"What if... what if I can't revese it?" she asked.  
"You're the brightest witch of all, love. If anyone can do this, it's you." he said as the assistant called her name. He gave her a sweet peck on the lips and smiled at her. "Love you. We'll be here waiting for you." he said. She stood up and walked to the office where both doctors Wilkins were. For them, it was a normal procedure to meet a new patient together. They started asking her some questions and when both turned their backs to her for a moment, she took out her wand, casted a silencing charm on the door and then turned to them and started reciting the incantation. The Wilkins got stiff, then turned around and looked at her with a shocked look on their faces. They knew who they were and where they were, they just didn't know why.  
"Hermione?" her mom asked. Hermione's eyes filled with tears and nodded. Her parents went and hugged her. They asked her what was going on and she patiently told them about the war and how it finished. Then, she explained to them what she did and why. And there is when everything went downhill for her. Her father was quiet, though Hermione knew he was pretty mad at her right now. Her mother, on the other hand, was beyond furious, and she didn't hesitate in tell her daughter everything that she thought.  
"This is outrageous, Hermione! I can't believe you used magic on us. ON US! After everything we've done for you!" her mother shouted.  
"I had no choice!" Hermione exclaimed.  
"You did have! You should have told us what was going on! We are your parents!" her mother shouted.  
"That's why I had to do it! I had to save you! I couldn't lose you!" Hermione shouted back.  
"Still, it wasn't right, Hermione. We trusted you! We trusted you blindly every single time. And you let us down." Her mother said.  
Hermione looked at her, speechless. Her mother kept going on and on about how magic ruined her and their lives and Hermione tried to say something when they heard a knock on the door. The three of them got quiet and the door opened a little letting them hear screeching crying of a baby. Hermione closed her eyes and sighed. If things between her and her parents were bad, they were about to get worse. Ron walked in the office and looked at them.  
"I'm... sorry to walk in like that, but... you were taking long, Mione, and... well... she woke up." he said pointing his head at the baby he was holding.  
"You said..." Hermione started as she got up and went to him.  
"I said the only thing I couldn't do for her was the feeding. And that's what she wants now. I tried everything else and she wouldn't settle." he interrupted her as Hermione took the baby from him. She sat in one of the arm chairs and started feeding the little girl who got quiet in the second her mother got her to her breast. Her parents looked at the scene, shocked.  
"You... you..." her mother started. Hermione sighed.  
"Yes. I have a child. Mom, dad: this is Belle, your granddaughter." she said looking at the little girl in her arms.  
"Who... who is...?" her mother asked as Ron got closer to his girlfriend and child.  
"That would be me. And by the look on your faces I asume Hermione hasn't told you yet that we're together." he said, then he looked at Hermione who shook her head.  
"I was about to, but..." she started.  
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! A BABY, HERMIONE! A BABY! YOU ARE BARELY 17 YEARS OLD! YOU'RE A CHILD!" her mother shouted.  
"I'm not a child! I'm of age already!" Hermione stated.  
"Not in our world... you're young. you have all your life ahead. This is... this is a mistake, Hermione. You're ruining your life!" her mother said.  
"MY DAUGHTER IS NOT A MISTAKE!" Hermione shouted, furiously.  
"Are you telling me that you and this... boy... planned to have a baby?" her mother snorted.  
"Of course not! but that doesn't mean that I regret having her! And that boy's name is Ron, mom, and he's my boyfriend." Hermione said.  
"You can't possibly think you're keeping the baby, Hermione. You're smarter than that!" Her mother said.  
"I'm not leaving my baby!" Hermione said.  
"Hermione, you're ruining your life. Do you have any idea how hard it is to raise a child? Do you have any idea how much money does it cost the doctor's appointments, the medicines, clothing, food, education? Are you aware of that?" her mother asked.  
"Of course I am!" Hermione shouted.  
"And how are you planning on doing it? You haven't even finished school, you have no job and no house of your own. How are you going to pull this of?" her mother asked.  
"Well, we... we will manage. We..." Hermione hesitated. Truth to be told, her and Ron hadn't talked about everything they would have to do to raise their daughter.  
"Hermione, you're still a child. Just accept it. You made a mistake and you just..." her mother started.  
"STOP CALLING HER A MISTAKE! She's not a mistake, mother." Hermione said even madder than before.  
"You weren't planning on her, you had unprotected sex and got pregnant. You made a mistake." Her mother said matter-of-factly.  
"I didn't! And if you insist on calling her like that, then you must know that for me she isn't. She's the best thing I ever made and I don't regret it for a second, so you'll have to deal with it." Hermione said.  
"If you insist on keep playing this 'happy family' thing then..." her mother threatened. Hermione looked at her.  
"then what, mother?" Hermione asked.  
"Then... don't count on me. I'm sorry, but I can't see you making a mistake like this." her mother said.  
Hermione looked at her, shocked. She wasn't expecting this response. Sure, she was expecting them to be mad, but never this response.  
"So, what... what are you saying?" Hermione asked with a lump in her throat.  
"I don't want to be part of this. If this is how you're going to act, then I don't want anything to do with this. I don't want to see you again, Hermione. You truly disappointed me." her mother said.  
Hermione couldn't believe it. All her efforts for keeping them safe, all her efforts for trying to find them and giving their memories back, were in vain. She had lost them. She got up with the baby still in her heads and went to the door. Ron could notice tears in her eyes. He rubbed her back and opened the door for her. In the second they walked down the building, Hermione burst into tears. Ron just put his arms around her and held her tight, rubbing her back and whispering in her ear that everything was going to be ok. Fifteen minutes later, she sobbed and sniffed. She upped her head to him, tears running down her cheeks.  
"Can we go home now?" she asked in a small voice. "please, Ron. Can we go home?" she asked again, her voice breaking again. He kissed her head and nodded. They started walking down the streets, their baby girl wide awake looking at them from her mother's arms. They stopped at a park and sat at a bench overlooking a small pond. They looked at their little girl who was gurgling and looking at them with her big brown eyes.  
"If I had my old time-turner and I went back to that time, you know what I would do, Ron?" she asked. He looked at her.  
"What?" he asked.  
"Absolutely nothing. I know we were irresponsible, Ron, but... if we had actually been responsible, then she wouldn't be here. And you know what? I wouldn't want it any other way. I just love her more than anything in this world. I don't know what our life would be if she wasn't here." she said, looking at her little girl with so much love. He smiled.  
"Well, I'll tell you what: if she were a mistake as your parents said, then she's the best one we ever made." he said. She smiled and kissed him. Yes, they were young. Yes, they didn't know what they were going to do or how. But one thing was for sure: they didn't regret a single second of how things turned out for them.


	14. The little bookworm

*** The little bookworm ***

It was a Wednesday afternoon when Harry flooed to the Granger-Weasleys' house to pick up the reports. Ron had been under the weather since the night before, and even though he had taken a PepperUp potion, Hermione insisted that he had to stay at home and rest. Harry brushed the powder off his cloak and looked at the little 4-year-old redhaired girl sat in an armchair with a book on her lap. He looked at her closely and realised he knew that book very well. It was a copy of _'Fantastic Beasts and where to find them'_ by Newt Scamander, the very same one that him, Ron and Hermione used in their very first year at Hogwarts. He was surprised that a girl of such a young age could read a book like that, but then he remembered she was Hermione's daughter. She had learnt how to read when she was 2. He looked at her again. Big brown eyes fixed on the book, eyebrows furrowed as she was trying to understand everything she was reading. She had the same expression Hermione had when she was concentrating on something.  
"What you reading, pumpkin?" he asked.  
The little girl startled and upped her head to him. She gave him a broad smile, got up, left the book on the chair, and flung her arms to him.  
"Uncle Harry!" she shouted, hugging him tight. Harry picked her up and kissed her head.  
"How's my beautiful niece doing?" he asked.  
"Good. I was reading." she said.  
"I can see that. Where did you find that book?" he asked.  
"In mommy's office." she said matter-of-factly. Harry raised his eyebrows.  
"Does mommy know you have that book?" he asked. Her cheeks turned pink and shook her head.  
"Mommy's busy taking care of daddy. And I was bored of all my books." she said. Harry sat down in the armchair with little Belle on his lap and took the book.  
"You know, me, your mommy and your daddy read this book when we were at Hogwarts." he said. Belle's eyes got bigger.  
"Really?" she asked. He nodded.  
"Have you seen any of these animals, uncle Harry?" she asked. Harry smiled and nodded. Belle smiled.  
"Which ones?" she asked excitedly.  
"Well, I once fought a Hungarian Horntail." Harry said remembering the first task of the Triwizard Tournament back in his fourth year.  
"That's a dragon, right?" Belle asked, her eyes sparkling. Harry smiled and nodded.  
"Yeah, that's a very dangerous dragon." he said as Belle nodded her head.  
"So, what did you do?" she asked  
"Well, my mission was to get a golden egg that the dragon was guarding, so I took my Firebolt and flew around the dragon until it was very dizzy and there I took the egg and flew away." he said as the little girl looked at him marvelled.  
"Wow! That was so cool! Have you seen any others?" she asked.  
"Well... I saw an hippogriff in third year. His name was Buckbeak and Hagrid let me ride him." he said. Belle just looked at him, even more excited than before.  
"How did you ride an hippogriff, uncle Harry?" she asked.  
"Well, we were..." Harry started before Hermione interrupted them.  
"I thought I heard voices! What are you doing here, Harry?" she asked walking to them.  
"Uncle Harry was telling me about the time he rode an hippogriff!" Belle said as Hermione noticed the book that Harry was holding. She took it from him.  
"Where did you get this?" she asked.  
"Your office. Someone got bored of her books." Harry said as Belle looked down at the floor and Hermione looked at her.  
"Belle Granger-Weasley, you know you can't take things that don't belong to you, especially mommy's things." she said between upset and amused.  
"I'm sorry, mommy." the little girl said in a small voice. Hermione sighed, went to them and kissed her daughter's head.  
"What am I going to do with you, my little bookworm?" she asked, smiling. Belle looked up to her and smiled innocently.  
"Give me more books!" she shouted. Hermione and Harry laughed.  
"Next time you want a book, you ask mommy and daddy for it. You don't accio them without permission, got it?" Hermione asked. Belle nodded her head vigorously and Hermione gave her the book back.  
"I'm here for the reports Ron took home the other night. I need to bring them to the office." Herry told Hermione.  
"I'll go and get them." she said, then she went back upstairs.  
"So... how did you ride that hippogriff, uncle Harry?" Belle asked again. Harry smiled.  
"Well, it was our first lesson of Care of Magical Creatures and Hagrid encouraged me to pet him. When it seemed that the hippogriff liked me, Hagrid picked me up and sat me on the hippogriff's back, and there he spreaded his wings and flew away." he explained to the marvelled 4-year-old.  
"I wanna ride one too!" she exclaimed as Hermione downed the stairs with the files in her hands.  
"I trust you are not talking about flying on a dragon, baby." she said giving Harry the files.  
"You rode a dragon too?" Belle asked, shocked, looking at her uncle Harry. He nodded.  
"Your mommy, your daddy and I flew on one while we were escaping Gringotts." he said, then he turned to Hermione. "And actually, we were talking about Buckbeak. Thanks for the files, Mione. Gotta go. Tell Ron to feel better soon." he said. He kissed the little girl, sat her on the armchair and flooed back to the Ministry. Belle looked at her mom, expectant.  
"You flew on a dragon, mommy?" she asked. Hermione sighed. 'Damn you, Potter.' she thought to herself.  
"That's a story for another day, baby. How about we go to Flourish and Blotts to see if we can find a new book for you?" Hermione suggested. Belle's smile got wider and she ran to her mom. She was just like her. Nothing made her happier than a pile of new books to read.


	15. Magic genius

*** Magic genius ***

Ron heard Rose's screams from downstairs. He grabbed his wand quickly and ran down the stairs to where the screams were coming from. And there, in the living room, he found his three children: 6-year-old Rose was beaming; her 3-year-old brother, Hugo, was standing next to her, amused by something that had just happened; 11-year-old Belle was standing next to Hugo, wand in hand, with a worried look on her face. Ron knew very well that, when his children were all together and one (or all) of them looked worried, there was trouble.  
"What happened?" he asked looking at the three of them. Rose looked at him, still smiling.  
"Belle learnt new spells." she announced as Belle rolled her eyes. Ron looked at his eldest daughter. She looked back.  
"Really?" he asked.  
"It's nothing, dad. Just trying to practice a few simple ones. I don't wanna be behind already when I get there." she said. He smiled a little. September 1st was nearly a month away and his daughter was already worried about being behind in her studies. She was Hermione's daughter through and through.  
"Show him! Show him!" Hugo and Rose demanded at unison. Belle sighed and grabbed her wand firmly. She swirled it a bit and said "Lumos" and the tip of it got bright. Ron was impressed and Hugo and Rose clapped of joy. With another swirl, Belle said "nox" and the light on the wand turned off.  
"That's... that's great, sweetheart!" Ron said.  
"That's not all, daddy!" Rose said as she went to one of the tables as pushed the vase that was there to the floor.  
"No! Rose! Bloody hell!" Ron shouted.  
"You said a bad word!" Hugo accused him pointing his little finger at his dad. Ron glanced at him. Belle pointed her wand at the vase and with a simple swirl she said: "Reparo." The vase was fixed in a second. Ron's eyes opened widely. He couldn't believe his eyes.  
"Now make it fly!" Hugo demanded. Belle made a swish and flick with her wand and said "wingardium leviosa". The vase flew around the heads of the kids and went back to the table.  
"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted.  
"Language, Ronald!" they heard Hermione say from the fireplace. Hugo and Rose ran to her, and Ron turned around to look at her.  
"Have you seen what your daughter just did?" he asked her, alarmed. Hermione looked back, confused.  
"I just arrived from the Ministry, Ronald. I don't have eyes around the house." she answered.  
"You should see it, mommy. It's awesome!" Rose said.  
"She can fly things!" Hugo said. Hermione looked at them, then at Belle whose ears had turned furiously red. Belle looked at her father for approval. He nodded. She sighed and casted each of the spells she had already performed to amuse her sibblings, including the levitation one. Hermione looked at her, her mouth wide open. Belle looked back.  
"did I... did I do it wrong, mom?" she asked shyly. Hermione closed her mouth and shook her head.  
"That was... I didn't..." she managed to said. Belle sighed and walked to the stairs.  
"I'll be in my room reading." she said. And with that, she disappeared upstairs.

"You OK?" Ron asked Hermione minutes later while they were in the kitchen making dinner. Rose and Hugo were still in the living room watching some muggle movie on TV.  
"She managed to do both, Reparo and Wingardium Leviosa." she said as she cut carrots.  
"and before even starting Hogwarts." he added.  
"And she performed them amazingly well." she said. Ron smiled.  
"Are you... maybe... jealous... of your own daughter?" he asked with a devious look in his eyes. Hermione glanced at him.  
"Of course not, Ronald! That's a horrible thing to say! Besides, why would I be jealous of my daugther?" she asked.  
"She beat you at Charms and Transfiguration before starting Hogwarts. She could outsmart you." he said.  
"And you think that's a valid reason to be jealous of my own child? don't be ridiculous, Ron!" she snapped.  
"You've always been the brightest witch of our age. It would be understandable to feel that way considering your own daughter is practically beating you in your best subjects." he said with the biggest grin on his face. He was clearly enjoying teasing Hermione.  
"I'm not jealous. I'm just... concerned." she confessed.  
"about?" he asked.  
"Belle being that smart. She'll soon be at Hogwarts raising her hand to answer questions and everyone is going to call her an annoying know-it-all because she reads a lot and enjoys school. I just... I don't want her to suffer what I did when I was a child, Ron. It's bad enough she inherited my bushy hair." she said. Ron went and wrapped his arms around her waist.  
"Belle's going to be fine, love. She's strong and confident and a bloody genius like her mother. She knows how to defend herself. You've seen her putting Teddy in his place when he teases her. She even hit him the same way you did to Malfoy in third." he said smiling at the memory as Hermione laughed a bit.  
"That was totally wrong of her! But, yeah, she knows how to defend herself." she concluded. "She looked so disappointed when we didn't say anything earlier, Ron. Like we were mad at her for practicing those spells." she said later.  
"But we aren't mad." he said. She shook her head and smiled.  
"I felt so proud when I saw her levitating that vase. she was incredible!" she exclaimed.  
"Then, we should go and tell her that." Ron said.

There was a knock on the door and Hermione and Ron's heads popped in the room.  
"Can we come in?" Hermione asked. Belle just upped her head to them and shrugged her shoulders. Both parents went and sat on the bed.  
"Are you mad at me?" Belle asked looking at her book.  
"Of course not, sweetheart! Why would be?" Ron asked.  
"Because I was performing spells that I should have learnt while I'm at Hogwarts." she said  
"Well, you're certainly not going to be behind anyone when you start." Ron said as Hermione glared at him. Then she looked back at their daughter.  
"We're not mad at you, sweetie. In fact, we're extremely proud of you. You performed everything so amazingly!" Hermione beamed.  
"Then why did you look so... disappointed?" Belle asked. Hermione sighed.  
"We weren't disappointed. It's just... we learnt those spells at school and it took us a while to perform them correctly. But you... it was effortlessly for you. And I just... I was worried that, when you got at Hogwarts, you... someone would tease you for being smart." Hermione said.  
"See, Belle, your mom was extremely smart for her age when we were at school. She was always raising her hand and answering questions and people called her an annoying know-it-all, and well... that really hurt your mother." Ron said.  
"I don't want you to go through the same thing I did just because you're smart. I'm more than proud that you can perform those spells. I'm just worried because I don't want anyone to hurt you." Hermione concluded. Belle could see she had tears in her eyes.  
"I... I can always ask aunt Ginny to teach me her bat-boggey hex before starting school." she said with an innocent smile. Ron and Hermione laughed a bit. "I promise I'll stop practicing so much before school if that makes you feel less worried, mom." she said later.  
"I don't want you to stop learning, sweetie. But maybe you should leave some things for school. If not, it'll be dead boring." Hermione said. Belle smiled and nodded.  
"But still... don't ever stop raising that hand of yours. Show all those kiddos what a bloody genius you are." Ron said as Hermione and Belle laughed. Yes, their daughter was very smart. But they knew she was going to be just fine.


	16. OWLS

*** O.W.L.S ***

Harry's head appeared on the Granger-Weasley's fireplace on a Friday morning.  
"Hey, mate!" Harry greeted Ron.  
"Hey! Everything ok?" Ron asked.  
"Hogwarts owl just arrived. Teddy got his OWLs results." Harry said.  
"Cool! what did he get?" Ron asked.  
"2 Os, 3 As and 4 Es." Harry responded.  
"Nice! congrats to him!" Ron said.  
"So?" Harry asked, expectant. Ron looked at him, puzzled, then he smiled.  
"11 Os." Ron said proudly.  
"Well... she's clearly Hermione's daughter." Harry said.  
"Yeah. I'm glad she got her mother's brain. She's a freaking genius!" Ron said. Harry nodded.  
"And she took the same amount of subjects that Hermione did? That's mental!" Harry exclaimed.  
"Except for Divination. She didn't take that one. Hermione's quite pleased about it. She's been nagging Belle not to take it ever since she started at Hogwarts." Ron said  
"Still mental, Ron." Harry said.  
"yeah. But I can't help it, mate. I'm really proud of her." Ron said.  
"Where is she now?" Harry asked.  
"She's in her room getting ready. Apparently, she's going to Diagon Alley with that git of her boyfriend to have some ice cream. Can you believe that? She's 16 and she already has a bloody boyfriend!" Ron exclaimed.  
"Thank Merlin she's got more guts to talk to her crush than you and Hermione combined!" Harry said as Ron snorted.  
"What? She actually had the guts to tell him that she liked him. That IS freaking genius." Harry added later. Ron looked at him and sighed.  
He hated to admit it, but he was secretly glad that his daughter hadn't made the same mistake as he did and could speak about her feelings with the person she liked. Aside from being a genius, for him, she was a brave teenage girl.


	17. Dates and truth

*** Dates and truth ***

She walked out of the fireplace in a hurry. All she wanted was to go up to her room and stay there. She was heading there when her mom called her.  
"Belle, is that you?" she asked. The 16-year-old girl just sighed. "What are you doing home so early? Didn't you have a date with Adam in Diagon Alley? Is everything alright?" her mom asked. Belle didn't respond. She just looked at her, eyes welling up with tears, and went upstairs to her room and slammed the door.  
"what the hell was that?" Ron asked walking in the living room in that moment. Hermione looked at him.  
"Something happened to Belle. She just came back from her date with Adam." she responded. Ron looked at her. So far, he couldn't find any problem with that. Hermione sighed, kinda frustrated. "She left an hour ago and stormed in the house upset. Something happened." she said.  
"Yeah, probably that git broke her heart." Ron said, mad, as they heard someone calling their eldest daughter from the fireplace. Hermione went there.  
"Adam?" she asked.  
"Hi, Mrs Weasley. I'm sorry to bother you, but... I wanted to know if Belle got home alright. She stormed out of the ice-cream parlour saying she didn't feel good and that she needed to get home ASAP." the boy said. As Ron was about to say something, Hermione raised her hand and stopped him.  
"Yes, Adam. She got home alright and is in her room. You have any idea what happened?" she asked him.  
"Well... we were at the ice-cream parlour, I gave Belle the gift I got her during my vacation and... Teddy and Victoire showed up. Belle seemed a bit mad at him and she pulled him aside. They talked for a while, and he must have told her something very upseting because the next thing I knew she wanted to go home." he explained. Hermione just nodded. "I swear I don't know what happened, Mrs Weasley. If I did something to upset her, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean it." he continued. he seemed genuinly worried and upset.  
"It's alright, Adam. I'll talk to her and tell her to floo call you later, ok?" she told the teenage boy. He nodded and left. Hermione went back to Ron.  
"Well... it wasn't Adam who upset her." she told him. Just as Ron was going to say something, Teddy and Victoire walked out of the fireplace. Victoire was grabbing Teddy's ear and he was complaining that it hurt him. Eventually, she let go and sighed, annoyed, leaving his ear all red.  
"Tell them what you did." she demanded. He looked at her and she gave him such a stern look that he sighed, looked down, then turned his head to Ron and Hermione. They looked at him, expectant.  
"So... is Belle home?" he asked. Victoire slapped him on the back of his head. "ouch, woman! That hurt!" he complained rubbing the place where she had hit him.  
"Teddy, we know you said something to upset her. So, spill it out already." Hermione said impatiently.  
Teddy sighed. "Vicky and I walked in the ice-cream parlour and went to Adam and Belle. I knew they were going to be there because I heard uncle Ron tell uncle Harry that she had a date with him and uncle Ron said that he didn't like it because he didn't know what they were going to do alone together, so I told him I would go and keep an eye on them." Teddy started as Victoire hit him again on the head. "Ouch! I swear I used it as an excuse to go out with you." he told her. She rolled her eyes and Hermione told him to continue.  
"Anyway, Belle noticed that it wasn't a coincidence that we were there as well, so she pulled me aside and I told her that I had told uncle Ron that I was going to keep an eye on her. She got mad, saying that uncle Ron didn't trust her and then..." he said, then stopped and looked at the floor.  
"then what, Teddy?" Hermione asked.  
"Then... I told her that... her father just wanted to make sure that she didn't make the same mistake that he did when you guys were her age." he said.  
"What? Dating someone who clearly wasn't for us?" Ron asked. Teddy shook his head. "then what, Teddy?" he asked.  
"Sleeping with her boyfriend and... getting pregnant." Teddy confessed, still looking down. Hermione and Ron looked at each other, worried.  
"How could you tell her that? It's not even true!" Ron exclaimed angry.  
"That you and aunt Mione slept together and you were so irresponsible that you got her pregnant at 17? Yeah, right." Teddy asked, sarcastically. Ron gave him a look.  
"that having her was a mistake." Hermione said. Teddy looked at her, realising what just happened.  
"and that's why we're going to aunt Ginny's now." Victoire said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the fireplace.  
"I-I I'm so sorry, aunt Mione, uncle Ron. I didn't mean it that way." he said as Victoire pulled him in the fireplace. Hermione just nodded. "Don't make me go to aunt Ginny's. She's going to hex me until next century." he said later.  
"And you deserve it!" Victoire snapped. A while later, both teenagers were gone. Hermione and Ron looked at each other.  
"What are we going to do now, Ron?" she asked.  
"About...?" he asked. Hermione gave him stern a look.  
"She thinks that, because we didn't plan to have her as we planned Rose and Hugo, we don't love her as much." she said.  
"That's ridiculous!" Ron exclaimed.  
"I know. But it's what she thinks, Ron. We have to talk to her, tell her that, even though she wasn't planned, she was never a mistake for us." she said. He nodded. Minutes later, Ron took Rose and Hugo to the Burrow while Hermione prepared some hot chocolate and cookies. Together, they went upstairs to their daughter's room. Ron knocked on the door.  
"Belle? honey? Can we come in?" Hermione asked.  
"We brought food." Ron added. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"She's not you, Ron. You can't persuade her with that." she snapped. He gave her a look.  
They just heard sniffing and sobbing, so they slowly opened the door and walked in. They placed the tray with the food on the bedside table and sat on each side of her bed. Belle didn't look at them. She just sobbed. Ron and Hermione looked at each other. Hermione went to rub her daughter's back, but Belle moved.  
"We... Teddy came here a while ago. He told us what happened." Hermione started. Still, Belle didn't look at them.  
"He's with your aunt Ginny now. She'll hex him till next century, I bet you a galleon for that." Ron said as Hermione smaked his arm.  
"I know... th-that you didn't plan to have me as much as you planned on having Rosie and Hugh." Belle said in a small voice. "I was a mistake." she then said. Hermione placed her hands on her daughter's arms, making her to lay on her back and face them.  
"I want you to listen to me and I want you to listen carefully, young lady: DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN. Did you hear me? I don't ever want you to say those words again." Hermione said firmly.  
"B-but it's true. You weren't expecting to have me. You had unprotected sex and got pregnant. I was a mistake." Belle said as Hermione shook her head.  
"You're everything but a mistake, Belle. You are..." Ron started.  
"the greatest surprise that we ever got." Hermione said with a smile. Belle just looked at her. Hermione went and laid next to Belle. "See... before you were born, the wizarding world was in one of the worst wars against Voldemort, one of the most evil wizards that ever existed. He believed that only pure blood people - the ones who were born from magical families - should be the only ones allowed to do magic. They... they thought that muggle-borns and half-bloods shouldn't be allowed to do magic, and... and they were after them." Hermione stopped, feeling her eyes welling up with tears and a lump in her throat.  
"They were after you too?" Belle asked her. Hermione looked at her and nodded.  
"They did terrible things, Belle. They tortured people, they humilliated them and killed them. And me, your mom and your uncle Harry went on the run trying to find some things called horcruxes that were going to help us destroy Voldemort." Ron explained.  
Belle looked down. Hermione tilted her daughter's head with her hand and made her to look at her.  
"When we found out we were having you, we were dead scared, mainly because we didn't know if we were going to survive. And if we did survive, we weren't sure what to do with a baby. Our main mission was to destroy Voldemort and make our world a better place for everyone." Hermione said.  
"And then... everything changed. Our main mission - I mean, your mother's and mine - wasn't that anymore. Well, it was, but not the most important one. Now our main mission was to take care of you and make the world a better place... for you. We went through the most horrible things and you... you came to us to bring us hope. We were terrified and worried, and you brought us peace and love and hope. You were our little miracle." Ron said, smiling. Belle looked at her mom's arm and traced her fingers around the scar. Hermione looked at her.  
"They tortured you too?" Belle asked. Hermione nodded. "Was I inside you when it happened?" Belle asked, still tracing her fingers around the letters that were still engraved in Hermione's arm. Hermione nodded again, tears running down her cheeks.  
"After that, nobody thought you and I were going to survive, but we did. And when the war was over and you were born, they all said that you were too small, too weak to survive. But you did. You were the strongest little girl I've ever seen." Hermione said, tears falling down her cheeks. "You taught us so much, Belle." she added, brushing her tears away with her hands. "Maybe... maybe we didn't plan to have you as we planned your sibblings, but God, Belle! We were more than happy to have you. And we loved you so much since the very beginning. So, don't ever think you are a mistake, because that's not true. You're the best thing that ever happened to us. We love you so much, princess. Everybody says we saved the world but... you truly saved us." Hermione said, caressing her daughter's hair. Belle smiled a bit.  
"I love you too, mom. And you too, dad." Belle said. Ron went and kissed her head as Hermione noticed the new necklace her daughter was wearing: a gold chain with the charm of a rose in a glass. Across the rose you could read the word "Belle" written in it.  
"That's the gift Adam got you?" Hermione asked her. Belle's eyes opened widely and she looked at her mom, kinda shocked.  
"How do you...?" Belle said before her mom interrupted her.  
"Adam floo called you after you arrived. He told me about the gift. He was really worried about you." Hermione said. Belle looked down and played with her necklace.  
"I really screwed up our date. We didn't even get to eat an ice-cream." she said. Hermione and Ron looked at each other.  
"How about... you invite him over tomorrow?" Hermione asked. Both Ron and Belle looked at her. She looked back. "You can play Quidditch or chess, we can all have some lunch and... then you can go to Diagon Alley for some ice cream." she added later. Belle kept looking at her.  
"Can... Can I? Really?" she asked. Hermione looked at Ron. He sighed and nodded. Hermione looked back at her daughter and smiled. Belle leaned forward and hugged them both tight. "thank you so much! I'm gonna call him now!" She then said, getting out of bed. She ran downstairs and to the living room.  
"She's happy." Ron said. Hermione got up and nodded. Ron smiled and looked at a picture of him, Hermione and Belle that their daughter had in her night stand. Belle was only 5 in that picture and she was dressed as her favourite book character: Belle from _'Beauty and The Beast.'_ Both Hermione and Ron were smiling in that picture. Now more than any time, Ron and Hermione were absolutely sure that their daughter was the best thing gift they had gotten. Surely, she wasn't as planned as her sibblings, but she was the first one who had taught them what unconditional love was and what it could do to them.


	18. The cat

*** The cat ***

It started as soon as they moved in to Grimauld Place. He was distant and grumpy whenever she tried to hold him. At first she took aback, shocked after the many years they had shared together, but then she realized what was going on: he was jealous. Not only did he have to share her with the redhaired guy she had been in love with for years but also with a new human being: a baby. And that... that was unacceptable for him. She had left him with the Weasleys for an entire year and now she dared to bring not one but two people into their lives. He tried everything to get Hermione's attention again, from sitting on her lap and rolling over so she would scratch his tummy to destroying some of her books and even Belle's new blanket. Hermione didn't understand at first why he was in such a foul behaviour, but after thinking a lot about it, she finally arrived to a logical conclusion. There was no doubt about it: Crookshanks was jealous, not just of Ron but of baby Belle, mostly because Hermione spent almost her entire time with that tiny human. Since day one, he did nothing but hiss at her, trying to scare the little girl away, but all he got was a shove off from Ron and a very severe reprimand from Hermione.

As years went by, Hermione thought that he was going to get over it and was going to grow accustomed to the toddler. But that wasn't the case. As soon as Belle started to crawl and tried to play with him, he didn't hesitate in hissing her and even trying to scratch her. After that, Belle never tried to play with him again. Instead, she tried to be as far away from him as possible. Hermione, on the other hand, tried everything she could to bring her beloved pet closer to her daughter.

Belle was only 2 when Hermione finally decided that she had had enough of Crookshanks attitude. It was a rainy afternoon and Hermione was sat in front of the desk in the library with the door open. She had taken the day off work because Belle was under the weather and she had the impression that it had to do with the fact that Ron was coming back from a long mission later that night. Little Belle was sat on the floor in her room playing with her toys. Hermione was revising some files and writing a report when she heard a hiss and a zap followed by Belle's screeching cry. Hermione got up immediately and ran to her daughter's room, worried. When she walked in, she found the stuffed toy dragon that Charlie had gotten Belle for her last birthday all destroyed, and the little girl crying without console. Crookshanks was mere meters from the toy, looking at his owner with a pretend innocent look on his face. Hermione took the little girl in her arms and held her, trying to calm her down. Belle wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and laid her head on her shoulder, sniffing and hiccuping. Hermione was about to kiss the little girl's hand when she noticed the scratch in it. She looked at it, horrified, and then looked at Belle. The toddler turned her head to her mother and looked at her in the eye.

"Did Crookshanks do this to you, baby?" Hermione asked her showing Belle her scratched hand. Belle just nodded. "Did he do that too?" Hermione asked pointing at the destroyed dragon. Again, Belle nodded.

"Cwooks mean, mommy. Me no love him." She said, sniffing. Hermione kissed her daughter's head and took her to the bathroom. She took a little bottle from the cabinet, opened it and poured two drops in the scratch. Belle winced but didn't cry. The scratch stopped bleeding, but it was still visible. Hermione put the little bottle back in the cabinet and kissed her daughter's hand.

"You're a very brave girl!" She said, smiling reassuringly at the toddler. Belle smiled a bit. "How about you help mommy make a cake for when daddy gets home?" She asked. Belle nodded and they both went to the kitchen.

When Ron got home later that night, he went straight to his and Hermione's bedroom. He was expecting to find her still up, maybe reading one of her books or even dressed up in something sexy to welcome him back (although he thought she looked sexy even if she was only wearing a Cannons' baggy shirt and a pajama bottom), but that wasn't the case. Hermione was sound asleep curled in a ball, her back at him. He noticed that she wasn't alone. Next to her, also curled up in a ball, was their 2-year-old daughter, her thumb in her mouth and her other arm around her mother's one. Ron noticed something unusual in Belle's hand, so he got closer, trying not to wake either of them up. There it was: a scratch. He was wondering how she got it when he noticed Hermione rolling over and slowly opening her eyes as if she already knew he was home. She smiled a little and he smiled back. God! He so missed that smile!

"Hey." She said nearly in a whisper.

"That's it? I'm off for a month and you just say hey?" He asked jokingly. She giggled.

"It was a long day and you're too far from me to kiss you." She said. He kneeled down in front of her and kissed her. She continued with the kiss until she noticed someone moving next to her and she broke it off. They looked at the little girl stirring in her sleep and holding on to what seemed to be a very hairy bear.

"What happened to the dragon?" Ron asked. Last thing he remembered, Belle wouldn't go to sleep unless she had her dragon with him.

"She decided Beastie was braver to keep her safe at night." She said.

"Beastie, huh?" He said. She nodded.

"Plus... Crookshanks destroyed the dragon this afternoon." She added, then looked down. He looked at her, shocked.

"Bloo-" he started before she glared at him. "Why? I mean..." He asked. She shrugged her shoulders. He looked at Belle's scratched hand. "That too?" He asked, pointing at their daughter's hand. She looked at it, then nodded and he could notice tears running through her cheeks. "Hermione..." He started before she interrupted him.

"He can't stay here anymore." She sniffed. He went and slowly picked her up from the bed and went to a corner of the room. He sat on the floor, sitting her on his lap and holding her waist. "I thought... I thought it was a phase... That he didn't like all the changes... I... I tried. I tried so hard to make him bond with Belle, but..." She cried as he stroke her hair.

"I know. I know you did all you could. But it's enough, Hermione. He's been like this since we arrived home with her two years ago and he hasn't changed. I'm not going to risk our daughter's safety because the bloody cat is jealous of her." He said. She nodded.

"I never thought he would do something like this." She sniffed as Ron rolled his eyes. "I love him. I really do. But... He crossed the line, Ron." She cried. He held her tight as she cried. He knew it was hard on her to be separated from her pet. He knew she loved him dearly but he also knew that she loved her daughter more and that she would do anything to protect her. It was one of the hardest decisions that she had to make, but he was sure that she was going to be OK.

"We'll take him to a loving family and he'll be alright, OK?" He said kissing her head. She just held onto him tighter. She loved her cat. She didn't want to give it away just because she had a baby now, but she had no other choice. She had to let him go.


	19. The song

***The Song***

She looked at the big wooden door of the big brick building, waiting for it to be opened and see her running towards them. 3-year-old Rose was holding her hand, looking at the door expectant. 9-month-old Hugo was sleeping peacefully in the stroller. The bell rang, the door was opened and a 9-year-old redheaded girl ran to them, broad smile on her face. Hermione smiled back

"Mom, guess what?" Belle asked excitedly

"What, sweetheart?" Hermione asked affectionately as the four Granger-Weasleys walked down the streets to the nearest apparition stop

"I got the part!" Belle said. Hermione looked at her and smiled.

"You did? Belle, that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" Hermione said kissing her eldest daughter's head. Belle just smiled.

"I still can't believe it, mom! I didn't think I was going to get it. I mean, Julie Altman was really good, and everyone thought she was going to get it. But then Miss Patrick announced who got each part, and when she got to the main ones, she said my name and I couldn't believe it!" the girl told her mother as they turned around the corner.

"That's amazing, sweetheart!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Can we watch the movie tonight? I need to practice my songs and learn every move." Belle said

"After you finish your homework." Hermione said while they were walking through a park. They stopped next to a big tree far away from the sight of muggles. Hermione told the kids to hold on tight to her, and with a pop! sound they disappeared and reappeared mere metres away from their house

"Do you think dad will be happy about it?" Belle asked

"Your dad will be ecstatic." Hermione said

Some hours later, Hermione found her daughter in her room singing. She leaned against the doorframe and listened to her. The song brought her memories and she smiled.

 _*FLASHBACK*_

 _She was sat next to the window overlooking the beach. They had been at Shell Cottage for two weeks now. She was slowly healing, though nightmares plagued her every single night. She was happy they had found out that their baby was alive and even happier that they already knew it was going to be a girl, but she couldn't help but feeling worried. Before Malfoy Manor, she could feel her daughter moving and kicking almost every day. Since they had escaped it, she hadn't felt her at all, not even once. She often had to ask Ron to perform the spell to make sure her little heart was still beating, and then she felt relieved._ _She looked at her stomach and laid a hand on it._ _"Belle." She said with a little smile on her face. "My beautiful Belle." she added, caressing her stomach. "They'll probably say you're weird, baby, because you may like to read books like me, but it's not true. You're special. A special mademoiselle." She continued, her smile getting wider._

 _"Look there she goes that girl is strange, no question_

 _Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?_

 _Never part of any crowd_

 _'Cause her head's up on some cloud_

 _No denying she's a funny girl that Belle." She started singing. In that moment, she felt it. A kick right in the middle of her belly. She saw the little bump raising. She giggled as happy tears ran through her cheeks. So she kept singing._

 _"Look there she goes that girl is so peculiar_

 _I wonder if she's feeling well_

 _With a dreamy, far-off look_

 _And her nose stuck in a book_

 _What a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle._

 _Oh, isn't this amazing?_

 _It's my favorite part because -- you'll see_

 _Here's where she meets Prince Charming_

 _But she won't discover that it's him 'till chapter three!" Another kick. She caressed the spot and smiled._

 _"I didn't know you could sing that well, Mione." She heard a voice say. She startled and looked at the door. Ron was looking at her, sparkling blue eyes and that goofy grin that she always loved. He looked at her and noticed she had been crying for a while. His smile disappeared and she went straight to her. "Everything alright? Is Belle fine?" He asked worried. She sniffed and smiled._

 _"Everything's fine." She said._

 _"Then, why are you crying?" He asked. Her smiled got wider._

 _"She's kicking again." She said. His smile got back, bigger than before. He rested his head on her belly, trying to feel it._

 _"Not happening now." He said. She took a deep breath and started singing again._

 _"Look there she goes_

 _The girl is strange but special_

 _A most peculiar mademoiselle!_

 _It's a pity and a sin_

 _She doesn't quite fit in_

 _'Cause she really is a funny girl_

 _A beauty but a funny girl_

 _She really is a funny girl_

 _That Belle!"_ _More kicks. Ron was ecstatic! His little girl was moving again._

 _"She's dancing." He said._

 _"Seems like it. She must know the song's from where we chose her name." She said. He looked at her, confused. "There is a guy in the muggle world name Walt Disney. He makes children's movies, and he took famous fairytales and turned them into cartoons with music and dancing. That song is from 'Beauty and the Beast.' It's Belle's song because everyone talks about how different she is from all of them. I always felt identified with it." She said looking down at her belly. He kissed her belly, then kissed her._

 _"You're not different, Hermione. You're unique. And she will be unique as well. Takes after her mother." He said, laying his hand on top of hers. She looked at him and smiled._

 _*END OF FLASHBACK*_

"Was it too bad?" Hermione snapped out to reality and looked at the source of the question. "Was I too bad, mom?" Belle asked. Hermione smiled.

"You were amazing, sweetheart. You're going to be amazing." She said. Belle smiled.

"Can't wait for dad to come home and hear the news I've got!" She exclaimed excitedly. She then went and sat on her bed, opened a big book and started reading it, like nothing else mattered in the world. Hermione looked at her. There was no question. Her daughter was truly unique.


	20. Christmas talking

*** Christmas talking ***

December came with the first snow of the year and the Christmas sales in stores. As she looked out the window, she thought about the previous year. Exactly a year ago she was sat in a tent examining her tiny baby bump. It wasn't long since she had told Ron and Harry that she was expecting, and not even longer since her and Ron had decided to be open about their feelings for each other and started a relationship in the middle of the horcrux hunt. She couldn't believe that it'd been a year since that Christmas, and only seven months since she had given birth to her beautiful daughter.

"So... I was thinking..." She heard a voice say. She turned her head to see the tall and lanky redheaded standing in front of her with two cups in his hands. He gave one to her and she smiled him thanks. "This Christmas would be a very special one." He started.

"Because it's our first Christmas together as a couple? Not really. That was actually a year ago." She stated. He shook his head.

"It doesn't count. We didn't even realise it was Christmas until we arrived at Godric's Hollow. We didn't have a nice meal or decorated a Christmas tree or exchanged presents. So that doesn't count. THIS... THIS is going to be our first Christmas." He said. She just looked at him. "And not just ours. THIS is our daughter's first Christmas AND the first Christmas we don't have to worry about Voldemort trying to kill Harry." He finished. She nodded.

"When you put it that way, it is a special Christmas." She said smiling a bit. He smiled back.

"So we have to do something special." He said. She looked at him, intrigued.

"What do you have in mind?" She asked.

"Well... I was thinking we could go and get a tree and put up decoration in it and around the house - the muggle way if you want to.- We could have a special dinner on Christmas eve, perhaps with our DA friends." He said.

"If Harry agrees, of course. Don't forget this is HIS house." She said. He nodded absentmindedly.

"OK, so... We could open presents on Christmas morning, we could (actually, we must, if not, my mother's gonna kill us) have brunch at the Burrow with all the family, and then have a quiet dinner, just the three of us... and Harry and Ginny, of course. What do you say?" He asked. She thought for a minute, then smiled.

"It's a wonderful idea." She said, then she kissed him. He kissed her back as they heard someone ask: "what's a wonderful idea?" They pulled away and looked at Harry.

"This Christmas is going to be our first..." Ron started before Harry interrupted him.

"As a couple? I doubt it. I vividly remember you two snogging senselessly when you realised it was Christmas last year." Harry said as both of his friends blushed furiously.

"That doesn't count. We didn't do any Christmassy thing." Ron retorted, then cleared his throat. "As I was saying, THIS Christmas is our first, not just as a couple for Hermione and I, but it's also Belle's first Christmas AND our first Christmas without worrying about saving your sorry ass from Voldemort." Ron explained. Harry rolled his eyes as they heard a screeching sound coming from upstairs. Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breathe.

"My call. I'll be right back." she said leaving her cup on the coffee table and walking to the stairs. She came back several minutes later with a seven-month-old redhaired baby holding onto her tight, her head on her mother's shoulder, sobbing and hiccuping. Ron went to them immediately with a worried look on his face.

"Is she alright?" He asked. Hermione nodded, rubbing her daughter's back soothingly.

"Her teeth are bothering her a little." She said looking at the little girl in her arms.

"I'll get the potion." He said, then he summoned it and the little blue bottle went flying to them. He handed it to Hermione, who opened it and gently made Belle to drink it. The little girl just shook her head.

"Have you told him your idea yet?" Hermione asked as she tried once again to make her baby drink the beverage. Ron nodded. "I was thinking... maybe we could do the DA dinner on Christmas night instead of Christmas eve. That way, if somebody needs to stay here overnight, they won't have to leave in a rash the next day to meet their families." She suggested. Ron and Harry nodded. Belle winced and sobbed a bit when Hermione succeeded into giving her the potion. Then, she slowly stopped her whining and laid her head on her mother's shoulder again. Hermione smiled at her and kissed her head.

"So it's settled. Those are our plans for Christmas." Hermione asked. Ron and Harry nodded, smiling. "Good. So let's start with a list. We have so many things to do! We have to get a tree, and decoration, the presents! and we have to let everyone at the DA know and see who can come on such short notice, and..." She said as she walked away from them. Ron and Harry looked at each other and smiled. It was going to be a great first Christmas.


	21. Hair issues

*** Hair issues ***

Hermione always had a problem with her hair. It was bushy and unmanageable and she always had to use a million spells in order to keep it presentable. When she was little, kids always made fun of it, and she was sure it wasn't something attractive for the opposite sex. She never liked it and she only wished her daughter didn't inherit it. She thought it was one of her most unattractive and most horrible features (even though Ron ALWAYS told her it was one of the things he liked the most about her)... until one afternoon at the Burrow. Her 4-month-old daughter was bouncing from one person to the other, mostly around the women in the house. And she had a habit of pulling everyone's hair whenever she had a chance.

"Al'ight, al'ight, little one!" Fleur said, taking the baby's hand gently while little Belle kept pulling it harder. Belle giggled. She seemed to be having fun pulling the French girl's silver hair, but Fleur thought otherwise. It was in that moment when George's new girlfriend, Angelina, decided to step in and take the baby from her. As it was expected, while Angelina tried to kiss the baby's chubby cheek, the little one pulled her hair tight. The men around the table laughed, and Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"Having fun?" Someone whispered in her ear as she felt arms wrapping around her waist. She smiled and snuggled into the person's chest.

"She seems to be having fun with everyone. She's certainly a Weasley." She said. Ron smiled and kissed her cheek.

"She's a Granger as well. They haven't seen her levitating her toys yet." He said. She smiled at the memory of their little girl making her toys fly around the crib for her own entertainment. Her thoughts were interrupted by a screeching sound and she instantly looked at Angelina. The black haired girl was holding the baby girl with an upset look on her face. Hermione pulled away from Ron and went to them immediately.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I don't know what happened. We were playing and she suddenly started to become wrestles." Angelina apologized as Hermione took the little girl in her arms.

"It's not your fault, Angie. She's just tired. She hasn't taken her nap yet." Hermione said as little Belle laid her head on her mother's shoulder. The young mother just walked back and forth in the garden, rubbing the baby's back softly as she spoke to her. She couldn't help but noticing the amused looks she was getting from the others and she wondered why.

"What is it?" Hermione asked a bit worried.

"Doesn't it 'urt you?" Fleur asked.

"What hurts me?" Hermione asked confused.

"That." Fleur said, pointing at Hermione's shoulder. Hermione looked at it, noticing her daughter's tiny hand intertwined with her hair. She wasn't even pulling it hard or anything. She was just playing with it softly, as if it were a security blanket or a soft toy.

"Oh. No. Not really." Was her answer. She kept looking at the little hand moving between strands of hair. How long has her baby been doing that? She wondered.

"She always does that." Ron said matter-of-factly. They all looked at him. "It's a sort of habit. Whenever she's upset or sleepy and Hermione's holding her, she does that. It seems to calm her down." He explained. Hermione looked at him. How come she never noticed it?

"Doesn't it get tangled or anything?" Angelina asked amused. Ron smiled and shook his head.

"She practically knows her mother's hair by heart." He just answered. The girls just nodded and started talking to each other.

"I've never noticed she did that." Hermione told Ron as she looked at the tiny hand still playing with her hair, her little fingers moving slower each second.

"I did a few weeks ago. I was watching you calming her down after she'd thrown up that time and I noticed her little hand moving in your hair as she was falling asleep. After watching her a couple of times with everyone else, I realised that she only does that with you. It's like she could pull everyone's hair for fun but not yours because it has a special effect on her. Your hair makes her feel safe and calm, and it's sweet to see her play with it like that." Ron explained. Hermione kissed her daughter's sleepy head. The hand was totally still, holding onto a strand of hair tightly. Of all the habits could have picked, this one was the sweetest one. And maybe, Hermione thought, her hair wasn't that awful after all.


	22. Birthday surprise

*** Birthday surprise ***

It was a bittersweet day for the Weasley family. It was another anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, another anniversary of Harry defeating Voldemort, another anniversary of Fred Weasley's death, but it was also the 5th birthday of Belle Granger-Weasley and the 4th birthday of Victoire Weasley. So, as every year, Molly Weasley was giving a big family at the Burrow to celebrate her granddaughters' special day, to celebrate life. Everyone was there... well, not everyone. Charlie was still in Romania working in a new dragon's reserve so he couldn't make it, and Harry and Ron were in an Auror mission and they weren't going to be home yet for three more days. That was the main reason why little Belle was sat in a chair in the corner and just looked at her legs dangling back and forth. Her red hair was tied in a nice bun and she was wearing a fluffy yellow dress, like the one the main female character wears in the movie _Beauty and the Beast_ (except for the gloves), which was the little girl's favourite movie AND her only demand for her birthday. Hermione knew she was upset and that she only wished her father was there. She had promised Belle that, as soon as Ron was back from his mission, the three of them would go and celebrate her birthday again in a special place of her choice. Even though Belle had agreed to that rather adamantly, she still wasn't happy. So Hermione decided to go to her and try to stop her tantrum before it even started.  
"You know... uncle Bill already learnt a couple of songs from the movie. He said he would sing them if you dance for him." she said kneeling in front of the little girl. Belle just shook her head. Hermione sighed. "I know you miss daddy, Belle. I really miss him too. But he'll be back really, really soon, and he would want you to enjoy your day." she said, tilting the girl's head with her hand. Belle looked at her in the eye and sighed.  
"What if he never comes back, mommy? What if the bad wizards hurt him?" she asked, eyes welling up with tears. Hermione just blinked hard, trying to prevent herself from crying as well. She cupped her daughter's face with her hands.  
"Daddy will be just fine, sweetie. He's strong and smart and he has uncle Harry to help him. He'll be here really soon, you'll see." Hermione said, wiping her daughter's tears away with her thumbs and smiling a bit. Truth to be told, she also thought about those 'what ifs', but she didn't want to ruin her daughter's special day.  
They heard noise coming from the front door and Hermione picked up her daughter and turned to see what was happening. Neville and his fiancée, Hannah Abbot, were walking to them. Hermione could notice someone else behind them. "It can't be..." she thought when she realised who it was.  
"Hey there, Hermione! Happy birthday, Belle!" Neville greeted the little girl. Belle just smiled at him and held onto her mom tight. She looked curiously at the other person behind him.  
"Neville, who... how..." Hermione managed to ask. Neville turned around and looked behind him. There it was, in a blue royal suit, the beast, just like the one in the movie. He was holding a candellabrum in one hand and a couple of red roses in the other one. The beast placed the candellabrum on the ground and walked to Hermione and Belle.  
"Ron told me that Belle's favourite movie is _'Beauty and the Beast'_ , so he told me to bring this little surprise for her." Neville explained as the beast gave Belle a rose.  
"Happy birthday, Belle!" the beast said. The little girl took the rose from him and smiled him thanks. "Your daddy wants you to know that he really, really misses you and that he really, really loves you." he then said.  
"I miss daddy too. I really love him. I wish he were here with me." she said playing with the flower in her hand.  
"I know for sure he wishes that too, princess." he said. He got closer to her and Belle gave him a kiss. In that moment, gold stars started to embrace him, lifting him up in the air. Then, there was a flash of light and just like that, in front of them, Ron and Harry appeared. Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. Belle quickly got down of her arms and ran to Ron, big smile on her face.  
"DADDY! DADDY, YOU MADE IT!" she shouted as he caught her in his arms and held her tight.  
"I told you I would be back, princess. Happy birthday, Belle!" he said, smiling and kissing the little girl. Hermione just lokked at them, tears running through her cheeks. Ron walked two steps to her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. Then, he kissed her passionately but sweetly as he always did.  
"I thought you wouldn't be back until Thursday." Hermione said when they pulled away. Ron smiled.  
"We caught the basta... the bad guys earlier so I thought to surprise you with a little something." he said, grinning. She smiled as well.  
"Very impressive charm, Mr. Weasley." she said, then she kissed his cheek.  
"Always the tone of surprise." he said, then kissed her again on the lips. Belle held onto him tight. Now that her wish came true, she could finally enjoy her special day.


	23. Birthday shock

*** Birthday shock ***

He found her upstairs in his old bedroom. She was sitting on the bed, hands on her lap and head down. Her bushy hair was covering most of her face but he could figure that she was crying because of the sobbing noises he heard. From time to time, her hand either brushed her cheeks, trying to wipe the tears away, or put a strand of hair behind her ear. He wondered what got her so upset. Just a few moments before he'd seen the happiest smile on her face when he had turned from beast to himself with a charm in an attempt to surprise their daughter for her birthday. Now she was crying her heart out.  
"Hermione? Is everything alright, love?" he asked, worried, as he slowly walked to her. She quickly looked his way, startled, and sniffed.  
"I... I'm fine, Ron. Just..." she started. He sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing his hands gently on her stomach. She felt warmth coming from them and couldn't take it. Just days before he left for a one-month Auror mission they had found out she was pregnant again, and they had been extremely happy about it. She shook her head and just burst into tears. He looked at her, even more worried than before, and pulled her closer to him. She buried her face in his chest and just cried.  
"Hermione, tell me what's wrong. Please, love. What's making you so upset?" he whispered in her ear. She struggled to calm down, but she knew she had to try and tell him.  
"I-I... I'm so sorry, Ron. So sorry." she cried. Ron just looked at her, confused. What could she be sorry for? "I-I... I d-don't know wh-what went wrong. I just... I'm so sorry." she cried again. Ron just held her tight, trying to calm her down.  
"What is it that happened, Hermione?" he asked. Her crying subsided a little and she could manage to speak again.  
"I... I lost it. Three days after you left. I had awful pains in my stomach and... I started bleeding really bad. It just... it was gone before breakfast." she sniffed. "I wanted to tell you, but I... I-I thought it wasn't something you say through a letter or a patronus. Besides, I didn't know where to send it." she finished. He got really pale. They lost another one.  
"It's not your fault, sweetheart. It just happened." he said, holding her closer to him.  
"I... I just... I thought this time..." she started before her voice broke again.  
"I know. Me too." he said, kissing her hair. She held onto him tight and sobbed.  
"It's never gonna happen, is it?" she said, hopelessly.  
"It will. It'll take longer, but it will." he said after a while. She sniffed.  
"What if it never happens, Ron? The healers said..." she started before he cut her off.  
"the healers said that it'll be difficult, but not impossible." he said. He got up and took her to the window. "See that?" he asked pointing at a little redhaired girl in a yellow dress that was running around the garden with a little blonde girl and bluehaired boy. Hermione smiled a little. "5 years ago, that little girl proved the world that she was strong enough to live. Healers told us she wasn't going to survive a week, and she went and proved everyone wrong. They said we needed a miracle... and here she is! We have a miracle, Hermione. Who says we can't have another one?" he said, holding her tight and resting his head on her shoulder. Hermione just looked at her little girl playing with her cousins and rested her head on his. Maybe she had lost another baby, but she wasn't going to give up. Maybe her new miracle was still yet to come.


	24. 4 become 5

*** 4 become 5 ***

When Ron got home that afternoon, he wasn't expecting to find his daughters playing quietly in the living room. Eight-year-old Belle was sat on the floor, her long red hair tied in a high ponytail. 18-month-old Rose was sitting in front of her, giggling and clapping her chubby hands. Ron smiled at the sight and went to them.  
"Hi, princesses!" he greeted, kneeling down to them. The girls beamed and hugged him tight.  
"Daddy, watch this!" Belle told him, big smile on her face. Ron sat on the floor next to her as Belle looked at her baby sister. Rose looked at her attentively.  
"Rosie, what's my name?" the eldest child asked.  
"Belle." the toddler said, smiling. Ron smiled and Belle clapped her hands, praising her sister. Rose giggled and clapped her hands as well, imitating her big sister.  
"Now, what's your name?" Belle asked pointing her index finger at the baby.  
"Osie!" the baby said proudly. Ron's smile got bigger.  
"That's your name! And what is daddy's name?" Belle asked pointing her finger at Ron. Rose looked at him, then back at her sister and smiled widely.  
"On." she said. Belle clapped her hands and Rose giggled. Ron hugger her tight.  
"That's my girl!" he exclaimed.  
"I taught her to say 'Ron', but she still can't pronounce the 'r'." Belle explained. Ron nodded. "Now, for the grand finale. Rosie, what is mommy's name?" she asked her sister. Rose looked at her.  
"mommy?" she asked, placing her little finger on her cheek. Belle nodded.  
"Yes. Mommy. What is mommy's name?" Belle asked again.  
"Mini!" Rose said. Belle smiled as Ron looked at her.  
"Hermione's too long and difficult for her, so I tried the nickname you call her, Mione. That's the closest I got her to say it." Belle explained. Ron smiled and held her by her shoulders and kissed her head.  
"You are truly amazing, Belle." he said, then he got up. "Speaking of your mother, where is she?" he asked. It was unusual for Hermione to not be around the children at that time of the day.  
"She's in the toilet." Belle answered. Ron nodded and went to the kitchen. He made himself a snack as he was starving, then he went back to the living room and leaned himself to the doorframe, watching his daughters. Now Rose was sitting between Belle's legs as the eldest one showed her a book.  
"They're amazing, aren't they?" he heard a voice ask from behind him. He turned his head to it and smiled widely. Hermione was staring at him, wide smile on her face. He leaned and kissed her on the lips. When they pulled apart, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.  
"We're lucky to have them." Ron said. Hermione nodded and looked at their children from over his shoulder.  
"We should really enjoy them now that they're just them. In around 6 months, they won't be just them anymore." she said with a grin. Ron looked at her, processing what she had just said. Then, his eyes got bigger. He looked at her stomach, then at her.  
"Hermione, are you... really?" he asked. She nodded, still smiling, and some tears ran through her cheeks. He smiled as well.  
"How... when..." he started.  
"Well, how... I think you have a pretty good idea of that. When... probably around your birthday. I haven't been feeling well lately and I had a suspicion, so I went to the healer's this morning after dropping Belle off at school. He confirmed it. 3 months. Everything's just fine." she replied, smiling. He picked her up and spun her around, kissing her passionately.  
"Can you imagine... another one like them?" he asked when they pulled away. Hermione laughed.  
"Hard to imagine considering this one is not going to be a girl." she said running a hand through her stomach. Ron laid his hand on top of it, smiling.  
"a boy." he whispered. She nodded.  
"I had to ask. I'm sorry. I really wanted to know." she said. He kissed her again. Life couldn't be more perfect than it was in that moment.


	25. Mission impossible: nap time

* **Mission impossible: nap time** *

It had been a particular difficult day for Hermione when she arrived at N12 Grimmauld Place, her 18-month-old crying daughter at her hip. She would normally apparate home, but she was pretty tired so she decided to take the floo network. Belle was being extremely cranky that day. She hadn't slept much the night before due to her teething (which kept Hermione and Ron up most of the night) and she only took a 10-minute nap at nursery school, so Hermione was determined to try and make her daughter sleep till dinnertime before she lost her mind. Besides, she had a few reports to finish and she couldn't do it with a toddler around.

"Alright, sweetie. Let's get your teething ring from the kitchen, shall we?" Hermione cooed the crying little girl in her arms. Belle just nuzzled her head in her mother's neck and held onto her tight, playing with her hair from time to time. It was a habit that she had acquired since she was a little baby and that it seemed to calm her down when she was upset. Hermione kissed her daughter's head and walked to the kitchen where the house elf was.

"Mistress Granger." Kreacher greeted. Hermione smiled a bit at him.

"Hi, Kreacher!" She greeted back as she went to the fridge and got Belle's purple teething ring from it. She gave it to the baby who quickly took it and put it in her mouth.

"Would mistress want something to eat?" Kreacher asked. Hermione shook her head.

"That's fine, Kreacher. I'll go and buy something in a while." She said. 20 minutes later, she had left the place and went to the market down the street since Belle was finally asleep and Kreacher had reluctantly agreed to watch her. When Hermione got back 20 minutes after that, she was greeted by a screeching cry and the house elf floating around the living room. She immediately left the bags on the floor and ran to the baby.

"Belle! Put Kreacher down now." She ordered. At the sound of her mother's voice, Belle stopped her crying and looked at her as Kreacher landed soundly on the floor. He got up really mad and went to the kitchen, mumbling insults and other stuff. Belle upped her arms to her mother who instantly picked her up.

"You can't levitate everything just because you're mad, baby. It doesn't work that way." Hermione reprimanded her. Belle just rested her head on her mother's shoulder and held onto her tight. Hermione sighed. She put all the groceries in the kitchen with a flick of her wand, then she put Belle back in her playpen and charmed some toys to entertain her. After that, she went to the desk that they had in the living room and started writing one of her reports. She was finishing the first one when she felt somebody was tugging on her robes. When she looked at the source, she saw little Belle trying to climb up her mother's lap. Hermione sighed, picked up the baby and sat her on her lap. She started singing while she wrote the reports. The steady breathing sound of her daughter told her that Belle was finally asleep 20 minutes later, so she slowly got up and laid the sleeping child on the playpen. As she was about to leave, she heard laughing and noise coming from the fireplace. She immediately drew her wand from her pocket and pointed it at the two intruders.

"Bloody hell, Hermione! What's got-?" Ron started before Hermione cut him off with a deathly glare. She kept pointing her wand at him and Harry and quickly lead them to the kitchen, glancing from time to time at the sleeping baby in the playpen. When the three of them got there, Hermione turned to them. "Now, you two listen to me and listen carefully: it took forty minutes - FORTY! - to finally make Belle fall asleep. She hadn't slept a wink last night due to her teeth, and according to Lyra, she barely took a nap at school today. I have three reports to write not to mention dinner to make since Kreacher won't make it after today's flying incident. So, if any of you two dares to wake my daughter up before dinner, I'll make sure battling Voldemort will look like child playing. Understood?" She said. Both boys nodded in agreement, half terrified half amused. She nodded as well and lowered her wand.

"So... a flying incident?" Ron asked half smiling. Hermione sighed.

"I went to the store to buy groceries while she was asleep. 20 minutes later, I came back to her crying without console and Kreacher flying around the living room." She explained. Ron and Harry laughed as Ron went and hugged Hermione.

"She surely knows how to get attention." He said as Hermione buried her face on his chest. Ron kissed her head. "I'll watch her, you finish your work. OK?" He suggested. She upped her head to him and kissed him sweetly on the lips. They were quickly interrupted by the baby's cry and a female voice shouting: "Guess who's home!"

Next thing Ginny Weasley knew, she was hit with a bat boogey hex that came directly from Hermione's wand.


	26. A surprising call

*** A surprising call ***

It was a sunny Monday morning when owls arrived at the Gryffindor table. As per usual, 13-year-old Rose looked up to see if she got anything from her parents. She was surprised to find a white owl landing next to her. She took the letter from the bird and let out a screech. Hugo and Lily, who were sitting across her, startled.  
"Merlin's pants, Rose! What's got you...?" James Potter, who was sitting next to her, asked.  
"It's from Belle! Quick, James! Get Albus and Scorpius! Fred, get Roxy. Lily, get the girls." Rose ordered. Her cousins didn't hesitate and did as she said. In a matter of seconds, Weasleys, Potters, Granger-Weasleys and a Malfoy were all around the 13-year-old redhaired girl who had a piece of parchment in her hands. She cleared her throat and read:  
"Dear Rosie, Hugh, Jamie, Al, Lils, Freddie, Roxy, Molly, Luce and Scorp:  
I hope you're all having a great term at Hogwarts. I know this would be surprising for all of you, but I wanted to tell you all before you heard from your parents: last night, Adam proposed to me... and I said yes." the girls shouted of joy and everyone in the great hall turned their head to them. "I'm really happy and I hope you're all happy for me as well." Rose continued.  
"Is she kidding us?" Fred asked incredously.  
"Try 'very, extremely happy for you', Belle." James said, smiling. Rose gave them a look and continued.  
"I really wish you were all here to celebrate, but Christmas is not so far away, so I'll see you all soon and we can start talking about it. I wanna know about your year at Hogwarts as well.  
I gotta go now. Please, stay out of trouble (Yes, you and Freddie, James, especially!). I miss you a lot! I'll write back soon telling you the whole story.  
Lots of love,  
Belle."  
Everyone shouted of joy.  
"We should get them a present!" Lily suggested.  
"Hogsmeade weekend is in two weeks. Too late to congratulate them." Albus said. Lily looked down.  
"We should write back immediately." Roxanne proposed.  
"We don't have much time. Classes begin soon and Belle's supposed to leave for work in..." Rose said, checking her watch. "...forty minutes." she added.  
"She took the time to write to us as soon as she had been proposed. The least we could do is congratulate her just that soon." Hugo said. They all nodded in agreement. Then, James smiled.  
"We need a floo network." he said.  
"The only one available is McGonagall's and there's no way she..." Rose started before everyone had stood up and ran wildly to the staircases. She sighed and followed them. They all soon were in front of the phoenex statue, trying to figure out the password. When one of the things that they had said made the statue move, they all got inside.  
McGonagall was reading a letter when she found the stampade of Weasleys, Granger-Weasleys and Potters in her office.  
"What in the name of Godric is happening here?" she asked, outraged. Everyone but Rose got quiet.  
"Belle's getting married. She sent us a letter telling us that Adam proposed to her last night. We wanted to congratulate her as soon as possible since she had gotten the time to write to us so quickly, but we won't be able to owl her until tonight and we have 30 minutes before she leaves for work." the redhaired girl explained. McGonagall looked at all of them. She usually wouldn't give in at anything as outrageous as this, but she had a soft spot for the eldest Granger-Weasley and seeing all her sibblings and cousins so eager to congratulate her made her heart melt.  
"30 minutes you said?" she asked. Rose nodded. "What's the address?" McGonagall asked. All the kids smiled.  
"245 Osmond Street in London." Rose said. McGonagall got her head in the fireplace and shouted the words.  
"Hello?" a head asked. Rose and Hugo got in front of the fireplace immediately.  
"Belle! Congratulations!" they both said.  
"We're so happy for you!" Rose beamed.  
"Rosie? Hugh? How did you...? Please, tell me you didn't trick McGonagall to use her fireplace." Belle said.  
Rose and Hugo's faces were pushed away and instead, James and Lily's appeared.  
"She let us use it! Hey there, Belle! Congrats!" the boy said.  
"Can I be maid of honor?" Lily asked.  
"I... thanks, James! Lils, we'll talk about it later. We haven't even set a date yet." Belle started.  
"You better set one in which we're all home, cous!" Fred said.  
"We really want to be there!" Roxanne said, smiling. Belle smiled and nodded.  
"Have you chosen a dress already?" Molly's face appeared, and next to her was her sister Lucy.  
"I bet you're going to look pretty!" the girl said.  
"Budge over! There's not much time left!" a boy said. Albus and Scorpius appeared. Belle couldn't stop smiling. All her cousins adn sibblings were floo calling her from school.  
"Hi Belle! Congratulations on the engagement! Thank you for adding me to the letter." the blonde boy said.  
"Thanks, Scorp! You're family already, you know." she said kindly.  
"We're really happy for you, Belle! We can't wait for Christmas!" Albus said.  
"Alright, everyone! Time for your lessons! off you go!" Belle heard McGonagall say. All the kids congratulated her again and said bye. Rose and Hugo were the last ones left.  
"I can't believe you all floo called me. Thank you all so much!" Belle said. She was truly moved by the gesture.  
"We love you, Belle!" Hugo said.  
"We're very happy for you. And we wanted to be the first ones to congratulate you before the rest of the family did." Rose said.  
"I love you guys too! I'll see you all soon." she said. Rose and Hugo left and Belle was about to leave when she heard someone calling for her.  
"Yes?" she asked.  
"Tell Mr. Weston congratulations on my behalf, Miss Granger-Weasley. I'm very happy for you two." McGonagall said.  
"I will. Thanks for letting my family call me. It means a lot to me. And... I hope to see you at the wedding. It'll be an honour for Adam and I, and I'm sure my parents will be happy to see you as well." Belle said. McGonagall smiled.  
"I look forward to your invite, Miss Granger-Weasley. And congratulations again." McGonagall said with a smile.  
"Bye, professor!" Belle said, and then she left the fireplace. Of all the notes and congratulations she had gotten, this one was the best one yet.


	27. A Hidden Talent

***A Hidden Talent ***

Ginny and Hermione became best friends after the Triwizards tournament. They talked about anything and knew everything about each other. Ginny was sure that there were no secrets between them... until one morning. Ginny, Harry and Ron had been playing Quidditch for an hour or two while Hermione had decided to stay in with the baby. Ginny, Ron and Harry were going up the stairs to Ron's room when Ginny stopped dead halfway through it, making Ron and Harry run into each other.  
"Bloody he-" Ron started before Ginny made him a sign to be quiet. Someone was talking and she wanted to hear what it was about. Ron and Harry looked at each other, kinda confused. Ginny got closer to the source. From the half-opened door of Ron's room she could see Hermione walking back and forth, her face towards the infant laying in her arms. She was looking at the little girl with so much love and talking so softly to her that her cheeks were slightly pink and her eyes were shining like stars. Not until Ginny got three steps closer did she realise that Hermione was not talking.

 _"She glanced this way._  
 _I thought I saw._  
 _And when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw._  
 _No, it can't be._  
 _I'll just ignore._  
 _But then she's never looked at me that way before."_

Ginny looked at Hermione with big eyes. When has her friend gotten so good at singing? And why hadn't she noticed that before? She looked at her brother and at her boyfriend. They weren't in the least amused. Harry just looked back at Ginny while Ron had his eyes fixed on his girlfriend and daughter, big goofy grin across his face. She snapped her fingers at Ron and he looked at her.  
"What is it, Gin?" he asked, slightly annoyed.  
"Hermione! Singing!" She just managed to say pointing at the door.  
"Amazing, isn't it?" Ron said as he watched Hermione slowly laying baby Belle on her cot next to the bed.  
"You knew she could sing like that? Since when?" Ginny asked, indignantly. Harry shrugged his shoulders.  
"A couple of months ago. She was singing to Belle while she was in her belly the first time I heard her. We were in Shell Cottage after Malfoy Manor. It was incredible!" He said as Hermione slowly left the room and closed the door behind her. She turned around and startled.  
"Good God! What are you guys doing there? You gave me a fright!" She exclaimed walking to them.  
"You can sing." Ginny said. Hermione just shrugged her shoulders. "Why you never told me?" Ginny asked.  
"It never came up in a conversation." Hermione said, then she turned to Ron. "I need a shower. Can you watch her? I already fed her and changed her." She said. He nodded, leaned to her and kissed her sweetly on the lips. Ginny huffed loudly and they pulled away and looked at her.  
"What now, Gin?" Ron asked, clearly annoyed.  
"Am I the only one surprised by all this?" Ginny asked.  
"Honestly, Ginny. It's not a big deal! It's just singing." Hermione said. Ginny's eyes opened even more than before.  
"Are you listening to yourself, Hermione? I mean, you are gifted in many ways. But this... this... you were just... how come nobody knows about this hidden talent of yours?" Ginny asked.  
"Because it's not a talent I'd like to improve, Gin. It's not like I'm really good at it or something! It's something I do to keep Belle entertained or calm. Besides, it's not like I can use that talent to free house elves or give werewolves more rights. And maybe not all talents are meant to be out in the open." Hermione said, then sighed. "Now, if you excuse me. I only have hour and a half before the next feeding and I would like to spend it having a nice, hot shower." she said, then she proceeded to go down the stairs and to the bathroom, singing another tune to herself.  
"A chess game?" Ron suggested. Harry nodded. "Bye, Gin!" they greeted the redhaired girl, and went into Ron's room.  
Ginny just stayed there, thinking Yes. Hermione had many talents, Ginny knew. Maybe not all her talents were supposed to be shown to the world. Maybe some of them, like singing, were best to keep hidden. It made life more interesting.


	28. In the Hogwarts Express

*** In the Hogwarts Express***

She was walking through the halls of the train. Even though she hadn't studied at Hogwarts the whole year, Ron had suggested that she should have a last ride on the train. So there she was. She got to the compartment, the same one she had been into with her best friends since year one. Only this time it was different. This time her best friend and his girlfriend were sitting and kissing. Her best friend and boyfriend was sitting across them, making gagging noises as their one-year-old daughter was giggling on his lap. Neville and Luna were there as well: Luna was sitting next to Ginny while Neville was sitting across her. They were playing exploding snap and laughing at Ron. Hermione sighed and smiled to herself as she opened the door. Everyone looked at her.  
"There you are!" Ron exclaimed, half smiling. Little Belle looked at her with the brightest smile on her face.  
"MOMMY!" she shouted upping her arms to her. Hermione walked in and took her from Ron, then kissed her chubby cheek. She sat down by the window and sat the baby on her lap.  
"I was starting to think your were going to stay in the prefects compartment." Ron joked. She gave him a look.  
"Wanna play?" Neville asked, showing her the cards. She shook her head and backed down a little as her daughter nearly hit her with something.  
"Mommy book." Belle said, showing her the big blue book she had in her hands. Hermione nodded. Belle opened it and looked at her mom expectant. She started reading it. Harry looked at her. It would have been such a normal picture to just see Hermione reading a book on the train if it hadn't been for the baby on her lap. It was incredible how time passed and how thing had changed in over a year. But some things didn't. The trolley woman arrived shortly. Ron and Harry bought nearly everything on it. Little Belle looked at everything her father had in his hand, curiously.  
"You think she's ready for one?" Ron asked Hermione showing her a chocolate frog.  
"We could try. The healer said she can eat some things with sugar already, but not too much." she said. Ron nodded. He opened the box eagerly and took the frog out of it. Belle followed the brown thing with her eyes, eager to know what had her father so excited.  
"Look, Belle! This is a chocolate frog. Here, baby. Try it." He encouraged her. Belle took the chocolate and looked at it carefully, like analyzing it.  
"Gosh! It's Hermione with red hair!" Ginny exclaimed. Hermione rolled her eyes. Belle took a bit of the frog. Everyone looked at her expectant. She looked at her parents as she chew it, frowning, and gave it back to Ron.  
"She doesn't like it." Hermione said matter-of-factly. Ron looked at her, shocked.  
"Nah! It's just the first bite. She has to take another one." he said, trying to make Belle take another bit. The little girl shook her head and pushed his hand away. "Come on, Belle! Try again! you'll love it!" he insisted, but Belle wouldn't have it. She shook her head again. Ron kept trying. "Come on, baby! Do it for daddy!" he said, getting the chocolate frog closer to her. At this point, Belle was pissed and Hermione knew it. She pushed her father's hand with her little hands, making the candy fall on the floor.  
"NO!" she shouted, then she rolled over in her mother's arms and buried herself into her mom's stomach.  
"Told you she didn't like it. Maybe when we have another one in a few years they would like it." Hermione said rubbing her daughter's back. Ron sighed and picked up the piece of chocolate from the floor. He looked at her and his girlfriend as they both looked at the window. He couldn't think of a better was to spend their last ride on the train.


	29. Talented Little Witch

*** Talented Little Witch ***

Ron Weasley knew that his little girl was nothing but extraordinary. After all, she was his and Hermione's daughter, so he knew she wouldn't have turned out any other way. When Belle was 3 months old, she showed her first signs of magic by levitating her baby bottle from the kitchen to his room. Everyone told him and Hermione that she was a prodigy as most children showed their first signs of magic after the first year of life. The young couple proved that right. Soon, little Belle was levitating her toys for her own entertainment and even her mom's books when she wanted some attention. She started talking when she was 9 months and walking when she turned a year. At the age of 2, she could already speak full sentences AND read a couple of words. When she turned 3, she was already writing her name and her parents' ones. Ron knew it. Belle was more like her mother every day, and he was really proud of that. Hermione was devoted to her child and she was always willing to indulge in her little girl's bouts of learning. She was even eager to drop everything she was doing and help Belle in anything she asked for. So it wasn't a surprise for him when he arrived at N12 of Grimmauld Place one afternoon to the sound of the piano. He always found it amusing to hear Hermione playing it once in a while. The tunes were always flawless. But this time was different. The rhythm was slow and the keys were played with some time space between them. Ron walked to the sitting room and leaned against the doorframe. Sat on the piano stool was Hermione, her bushy brown hair tied in a ponytail. She was still wearing her purple work robes but didn't seem to mind at all. On her lap was a little girl, her red hair tied in pigtails. She was pushing the keys that her mother was indicating her, giggling satisfied at the sight of her mother's smile. Ron couldn't see it, but he could picture his girlfriend's eyes gleaming with pride.

"That was truly amazing, sweetheart! Now, let's try it a little faster, alright?" Hermione suggested. The little girl nodded. She started pressing the keys again. Ron could recognise the melody. It was 'Twinkle, Twinkle, little star', a muggle lullaby that Hermione had taught Belle many times. Halfway through it, the girl missed one key and pressed the wrong one. She started sobbing and Ron's heart ached a little bit. His daughter was experiencing her first mistakes.

"That's OK, Belle! It's alright, sweety. Let's try again." Hermione reassured her. The little girl sniffed and sighed loudly, then tried again. This time she played even faster and didn't miss a single key. Ron felt so proud. When the song was finished, he clapped his hands so hard that both Hermione and Belle startled and looked at him.

"Daddy! You saw me? I play the piano now!" The three-year-old said proudly. Ron went to them, broad smile on his face, and scooped his daughter in his arms.

"Daddy's so proud of you, sweetheart." He said. Belle just smiled.

"Now I can play like mommy." She said proudly. His smile got bigger and he could see Hermione blushing and giggling.

"You are a truly talented little witch, Belle. You take after her, that's for sure." He said kissing his daughter's forehead. Ron knew it. His daughter was extraordinary. And he wouldn't want it any other way.


	30. Christmas special

*** Christmas special ***

It was a bittersweet time for the Weasley family. It had been seven months since the battle, which meant seven months without Fred. It was also Christmas time. the first one since Voldemort had been defeated. For Hermione, this was a rather special one. It was the first Christmas her and Ron had spent as an official couple, and the very first one with their daughter. The previous night had been rather special as well. It was the first time Hermione and Ron had slept together since Belle had been born. The last time, she remembered, was the night before going to the Ministry to get the necklace, more than a year ago. This time was absolutely perfect (not that the previous ones weren't), as it seemed that time hadn't passed and that the last time they were so intimate with each other had been only mere weeks before. Hermione just closed her eyes and let the memory embrace her just like Ron's arms were tightly wrapped around her. She felt Ron's lips on the bare skin of her shoulder and she smiled as he kept tracing kisses up her neck, her jawline, her cheek, and finally, her lips. She turned around in his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, continuing with the kiss.  
"Merry Christmas, Mione." he said, smiling, in-between kisses. She just smiled and pulled away slowly, their forehead touching.  
"Merry Christmas, Ron." she whispered.  
"Last night was..." he started as she nodded, still smiling. "You think we can pick up where we left of before breakfast?" he asked with a cheeky grin on his face. She giggled and was about to kiss him when they heard a cry coming from the end of her wand. She sighed.  
"Looks like we'll have to leave it for later tonight." she said, pulling away from him and picking up his Cannon's shirt from the floor. He looked at her.  
"Really?" he pouted.  
"Unless you want to keep listening to your daughter crying, miss breakfast and not open your presents, then..." she started. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and got up.  
"I'll make breakfast, you get ready." he said. He went and got dressed while she crossed the hall and opened the door of the pink-and-white bedroom. Her 7month-old daughter was sat in the crib, crying. Her face was all read and some of her toys were floating around her. She upped her arms to her mom in the second she saw her. Hermione smiled and picked up the baby and kissed her chubby cheek.  
"Merry Christmas, my sweet, beautiful Belle! It's your first Christmas! Can you believe that?" Hermione said as she laid Belle on the changing table. The little girl, who was quite by now, looked at her mom and smiled as if she could understand what she was talking about. Hermione changed her daughter's diaper and got her dressed, then they went downstairs where Ron was cooking breakfast. Christmas breakfast was nice. Ron had made pancakes for all. Harry and Ginny gushed over the baby and were pretty eager to open the presents already. When everybody had finished eating, they all moved to the living room where the big Christmas tree and the presents were. As it was expected, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione were more excited about the presents than little Belle was. They all exchanged presents, and then Ron and Hermione proceeded to sit with Belle to open her presents. Ron and Hermione had gotten her some books, clothes and some soft toys. However, Belle seemed more than interested in the wrapping paper. Harry and Ginny were eager for Belle to open their present: a toy broom.  
"She's not playing with that." Hermione said firmly.  
"Why not?" Ginny asked, clearly shocked.  
"Well, for a start it's for 1-year-olds onwards. She's only 7 months." Hermione stated.  
"It's a great present, guys. But maybe we'll keep it stored until she turns a year. She barely crawls now, let alone be balanced on a broom." Ron said. Everybody but Hermione was surprised by his maturely response. Belle, on the other hand, didn't seem to care much whether she could play with the toy broom or not. Wrapping paper seemed quite attractive to her, and Hermione couldn't stop but smiling when she saw her.

Despite the circumstances, everyone seemed to be in a very jolly mood at the Burrow later that afternoon. Bill and Fleur couldn't keep their hands off each other. They had just announced they were going to be parents and were incredibly sweet to one another. George had brought his new girlfriend, Angelina, and they were engaged in a confetti fight with Teddy Lupin. Percy and Charlie were in a corner talking while Ginny and Harry were looking at the presents under the Christmas tree. Hermione and Ron were sat on the couch, baby Belle sat on her mother's lap playing with some sort of rattle that resembled to a magic wand that George had gotten her. Mrs Weasley walked in the living room. She waver her wand and some packages started flying around, landing on their owner's hands. She then picked up the last two that were under the tree and walked to the couch. Ron was opening his package and found his traditional maroon Weasley sweater. Although he never liked the colour, this time he didn't anything. He kissed his mother on the cheek and put it on, smiling. Mrs Weasley went directly to Hermione.  
"I've been meaning to give this to you for a VERY long time. You've always been part of this family, Hermione, and I'm more than thankful for everything you've done for us. Although this has been a rought time, you've given us an incredible gift, and I'll be forever grateful for that. Merry Christmas, sweetheart!" she said, giving Hermione a brown package. Hermione looked at it and took carefuly in her hands as she was carrying a precious gem. Everyone looked at her, expectant, as she opened the gift. There it was: a bright blue and purple Weasley sweater, her very first one. Her eyes welled up with tears and she had the biggest smile on her face. Ron took the baby from her as she got up and hugged Molly tight.  
"Thank you, Mrs Weasley! It means so much to me!" the girl said. Molly smiled.  
"Call me Molly, sweetie. And this... is the very first one for our first grandchild." she said giving another brown package to Ron. Hermione put on her sweater and sat next to Ron. Belle looked at the little package in her father's hands, curious, as he ripped the paper apart eagerly. There it was: Belle's first of many Weasley sweaters. It was yellow with a letter B in blue. Hermione couldn't stop crying of joy.  
"Look at that, baby! Your first Weasley sweater!" Ron beamed. Belle looked at it as Hermione put the sweater on her, then looked at her with loving eyes.  
"Look at you, guys! Get together so I take a picture!" Ginny eagerly told them taking her brand new polaroid camera. Hermione and Ron got closer, baby Belle sitting on her mother's lap, smiling. Later on, that picture would be one of Hermione's favourites and one to be framed on the desk of her office at the Ministry. Now she just looked at it with the biggest smile on her face. It truly was a special Christmas for them.


	31. Boggarts and other fears

*** Boggarts and other fears ***

"Stop it, Teddy!" She demanded, furiously. The blue-haired boy just laughed as they both walked down the halls of the castle.  
"Call the Daily Prophet! This is going to be the best headline since uncle Harry killed Voldemort!" He joked. She smacked his shoulder.  
"It's not something you laugh about!" She retorted.  
"Oh, come on! Miss Know-it-all Granger-Weasley can't beat a boggart! That is a newsflash." He smirked. She fastened her pace. He sighed and followed her.  
"Come on, Belle! It was hilarious!" He said. She stopped on her feet and turned around to face him.  
"It was mortifying! How would you feel if your boggart was not only one but two of the people you're most afraid to let down and the entire class gets to see it?" She asked, her face red of anger and tears running through her cheeks. He just stared at her. She turned around and started running. She didn't know for how long. She just ran until she found an empty classroom. She got inside and locked the door. She didn't want anyone to disturb her. When she was sure she was all alone, she sat on the floor in a corner and cried. Hours passed. Teddy and her friends tried everything to get her out of the room unsuccessfully. So Teddy decided to pay the headmistress a visit.  
"We need the Minister. She's the only one who can get Belle out." He told her after he finished his explanation of his visit. She didn't hesitate and put her head in the fireplace, calling for the Minister. Some minutes later, Teddy lead the headmistress and the minister to the empty classroom where Belle still was. The minister took out her wand and pronounced some incantations. A few minutes later, the door was unlocked and she walked in. Teddy tried to enter as well but Professor McGonagall stopped him. Teddy looked at her, shocked.  
"You said it yourself, Mr. Lupin: the minister is the only one who can get Miss Granger-Weasley out of here. Now, off to class you go." She told him. Reluctantly, Teddy left, followed later by McGonagall.  
Meanwhile, inside the classroom, Belle could hear footsteps approaching. She pulled out her wand and got up. "Mom?" She asked, a confused look on her face when she saw who was standing in front of her. Hermione looked at her and smiled a bit.  
"McGonagall called saying you locked yourself in a classroom and wouldn't come out." Hermione started, partly reproching her daughter for such a childish behaviour. Belle sighed and looked down. "What happened, Belle? Did anyone bothered you?" She asked. The 16-year-old girl shook her face. "Then what, darling?" Hermione asked, concerned. Belle upped her face to her mother.  
"It was you... and Adam." She said, blushing with embarrassment. Hermione looked at her confused and Belle sighed. "We were in DADA class and... we had to face boggarts. When it was my turn... you appeared, and then Adam." She said, her ears turning as red as her hair. Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Her own daughter was afraid of her?  
"I... I'm your biggest fear?" Hermione asked, between shocked and hurt. Belle looked at her, feeling extremely guilty.  
"No! I mean... not you as a person. You're not terrifying, mom. It's just... You are so amazing! Brightest witch of your age, war heroine, first minister of Magic who is a woman AND a muggle-born, and... well... I'm your daughter and everyone expects me to be as brilliant as you and... what if I'm not?" Belle explained. Hermione looked at her, trying to understand. "Your... boggart... it said to me that I..." Belle struggled as she fretted her hands. She sighed. "she told me I was a... disappointment. That I wasn't any good, that... I was your biggest mistake after all." she finally said. Hermione could see tears running through her daughter's face. She cupped it with her hands and brushed her tears away with her thumbs.  
"YOU are an incredible person, Belle. You're sweet, caring, compasionate and incredibly smart. And you'll NEVER EVER be a disappointment to me." Hermione started. Belle looked at her and sniffed. "I don't care if you don't get all Os or Es in your exams. I don't care if you fail in one of those because it's part of the learning process. I just want you to be good and happy. I don't expect you to be me or anyone else. I just want you to be YOU." she continued. "And I believe I already told you not to say you're a mistake ever again, am I right?" she asked. Belle nodded and looked down. Hermione tilted her face and made her to look at her in the eye. "You are the best thing I ever made in my whole life. I don't regret for a second having you. You are brilliant in your own way, and I love you, Belle. More than words can say." she finished. Belle sniffed and smiled a bit.  
"I love you too, mom." she replied. Hermione hugged her tight.  
"So... you said your boggart was me AND Adam. Why Adam?" Hermione asked. Belle pulled away from her.  
"Well... It's just... you see... Tory told me that her and Teddy... well... you know..." Belle said, suddenly blushing even more than before. Hermione looked at her. Belle looked back. "you know... they were... together..." she said.  
"Oh." Hermione said, suddenly realizing what her daughter was talking about.  
"Tory says that, after being in a relationship for so long and after saying 'I love you' to each other, the next natural step is having sex, as a prove of that love." Belle explained. Hermione just looked at her for a moment.  
"So... you and Adam...?" Hermione asked, fearing her daughter's answer. Belle looked down and slowly shook her head.  
"I mean... I love him. We've been dating for two years and everything's great, but..." Belle started and looked at her mom. Hermione looked at her, expectant. "I think it's a very big step and... I'm not ready, mom." she said. Hermione sighed and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. She was proud her daughter was being rational about such an important decision.  
"That's ok, Belle. You don't have to do anything you're not ready for." Hermione said.  
"His... boggart... he told me he would leave me, that he wouldn't love me if we didn't..." Belle sniffed.  
"Oh, sweetheart! If he does leave you for that, then he doesn't deserve you. If you don't feel ready, he should respect that. I know for a fact that Adam loves you and that he wouldn't force you to do anything you're not comfortable with. If this really bothers you, you should talk to him. Maybe he feels the same way but is as scared as you are right now." Hermione said. Belle sighed and nodded, then brushed her tears with her hand. They suddenly heard noise coming from one of the cupboards and they both looked at it.  
"Must be a boggart." Hermione whispered.  
"Well, now I know why no-one uses this classroom." Belle said. Hermione looked at her. Belle looked back.  
"What's the funniest thing in the world for you?" Hermione asked. Belle thought.  
"Aunt Luna's lion hat." the teenage girl said with a smile. Hermione rolled her eyes. Of all things that were funny in this world, her daughter chose that silly hat.  
"Ok... I'll open the cupboard. When the boggart appears, think of me in that hat and say the spell, ok?" Hermione instructed her, getting closer to the cupboard Belle hesitated but got her wand ready and nodded. Hermione opened the cupboard, but she wasn't the one who appeared. Instead, a slim, pale woman with black and white frizzy hair appeared. Hermione turned as white as a ghost and as still as a rock. Belle looked at her, confused, as the woman leaned towards Hermione with an evil grin in her face.  
"Well, hello, dearie... look at you. It's like you've just seen a ghost." the woman said. Hermione was speechless. Her eyes were fixed on the figure in front of her. She was terrified. "Look at the mudblood! Has the cat got your tongue again like that time in the Manor?" Bellatrix asked, laughing. Hermione just looked at her as tears ran through her cheeks. "You are a filthy little mudblood! You can't fight your own demons. And you expect your silly little mudblood child would do the same thing? You're a pathetic example of a mother for her and anyone. I should have killed you both when I had a chance!" Bellatrix shouted. She drew her wand to Belle.  
"Cru-" she shouted.  
"NO!" Hermione shouted.  
"Riddikulus!" Belle shouted pointing her wand at the boggart, and Bellatrix suddenly had a roaring lion-head hat covering her face. The girl laughed, then shouted: "Reducto!" and the slim figure shattered to pieces. Belle immediately ran to her mom and held her. "It's ok, mom. She's gone! She can't hurt you now." she said, reassurengly as Hermione cried. Belle kept holding her, telling her that everything was alright. Slowly, Hermione pulled herself together and stopped her crying.  
"I... I'm sorry you... you had to see that." Hermione cried.  
"It's alright, mom. You were closer to the boggart than I was, so it was expected to turn into your fear first." Belle said but Hermione shook her head.  
"I should... I should have protected you. I should..." Hermione began.  
"She's the woman who tortured you, right?" Belle asked. Hermione looked at her and nodded slowly. "You did protect me. You did your best. I'm here and she's not." the girl said.  
Hermione looked at her daughter and smiled. How come this mature, brave girl was her child? She hugged her daughter tight and kissed her head.  
"I'm so proud of you, baby girl." she said. Belle hugged her.  
"I'm proud of you too." she whispered. "And you're an amazing example for everyone." she added. Hermione just held her tighter. After this, she knew Belle would overcome all of her fears without hesitation. And she knew her girl was going to be amazing at that.


	32. Mail delivery

*** Mail delivery ***

She has taken a well-deserved day off work and decided to spend it by planning some of the things for the wedding. They had already written the guest list and picked out the venue, the date and the invitations. Now they had to send them and wait for them to RSVP. Since it was a Friday, Hermione thought it would be good to keep her 3-year-old daughter home from nursery school and do all the things together. That way, she thought, the little girl would feel involved in the whole process. So, as soon as breakfast was finished, Ron was off to work and Belle was clean and ready, mother and daughter left N°12 of Grimmauld Place and walked to the nearest apparition point. From there, they would go to the post office in Diagon Alley to deliver most of the invitations by owl. Belle was a curious little girl. She looked around and asked her mother all sorts of questions: why is that lady's robe blue? What does that man have in his hands? Can we have an owl like that boy? Why is that elf so tiny? Hermione couldn't help but smile at the little girl's curiosity and answered to her questions as truthful as possible. When they arrrived at the post office, Hermione sent all but three letters away. She looked at them for a while as Belle tugger her hand. Hermione looked at her and Belle smiled.  
"Now what, mommy?" she asked. Hermione smiled.  
"Now, we're visiting some friends." she said, and she took the little girl out of the building. They walked around the busy street, sorting witches and wizards who wanted to speak to Hermione, until they found an apparition spot. Then, with a loud pop! they disappeared. They landed in front of a big wooden door in a new street as a blonde woman open the door and went out of it.  
"Hermione, dear! So lovely to see you!" she greeted the young girl. Hermione looked at the woman and smiled.  
"It's lovely to see you too, madame Rosmerta." she greeted. Madame Rosmerta gave her a flashy smile.  
"Merlin's beard! Is that your little girl? It can't be! Last time I saw her, she was a little baby." she said looking at the yound redhaired girl curled up in Hermione's arms. Hermione looked at her daughter lovingly and kissed her head.  
"She just turned 3 this Spring." she answered.  
"My goodness! Time does fly! Want to sit for a butterbeer? It's on the house." Madame Rosmerta said.  
"It's very kind of you, but actually we have some things to do. Maybe another time, thank you." Hermione said. Then, she started walking through the main street still with her daughter in her hands. It wasn't long before they walked through a very familiar threshole and saw a familiar pumpkin patch. Hermione sighed and smiled. She put Belle down and took her hand and they walked together to the hut that was there. A big black dog went to meet them. Belle was ecstatic.  
"Mommy, look! A doggy!" she exclaimed excited. Hermione kneeled to her and patted the dog on the head.  
"This is Fang. Be gentle with him." she told her daughter as the little girl patted the dog's head. in that moment, a giant figure stood in front of them. Hermione looked up to him and smiled. She stood up and went to hug him.  
"Hermione, hullo! It's so lovely to see you!" Hagrid said hugging her.  
"I thought to bring a future Hogwarts student along for a visit." she said, grinning, as she moved aside, discovering her 3-year-old daughter kneeled down in front of the dog.  
"My God! She does get bigger every time I see her." the giant exclaimed. "Hi, Belle!" he greeted. The little girl upped her head to him.  
"Say hello to Hagrid, sweetheart. You remember Hagrid? He came for your birthday last time." Hermione encouraged her. Belle smiled at them and waved her little hand at Hagrid, then looked back at the dog. Hagrid took them inside and prepared some tea.  
"So... what's bringing you here, Hermione?" Hagrid said as he gave Hermione a cup of tea and sat down opposite her. Hermione looked in her bag and took out and envelope. She then gave it to Hagrid with a big smile on her face. He took it in his big hands and opened it. He smiled as he read it.  
"Ron and I would love it if you could be there with us. It won't be a big thing. Just the Weasleys and a couple of our good friends. We want it to be simple." she explained as the giant sniffed and wipped his tears with a big hankerchief. He looked at her in the eye and smiled.  
"I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world." he exclaimed. She smiled and sipped her tea.  
Next stop was inside the castle. Belle was marvelled with the place and asked her mother all kind of questions as they walked through the halls. They stopped in front of a door.  
"H...Hos... Hospi...tal... Hospital!" Belle read. Hermione looked at her and smiled proudly.  
"That's great, baby!" she praised. Belle smiled.  
"What is a hospital, mommy?" the little girl asked.  
"It's a place where people go when they feel sick or hurt." Hermione explained. Belle looked at her mom with a worried look on her face.  
"Are you hurt, mommy?" she asked, her lip quivering. Hermione smiled and kneeled down to her.  
"No, darling. Mommy's fine. I promise. We're just here to visit a friend. Ok?" she asked, holding her daughter. Belle nodded. Hermione stood up and they both entered the hospital wing where Madame Pomfrey was tending a Ravenclaw boy.  
"Alright, Mister Newman. You can leave now." she told the boy, then she turned around and smiled.  
"Miss Granger! It's good to see you!" she greeted. Hermione smiled.  
"It's good to see you too, Madame Pomfrey. Remember Belle?" she asked looking at her daughter. Madame Pomfrey looked at the little girl.  
"My goodness! She's gotten so big! Last time I saw her, she was beginning to walk." the woman said.  
"I'm big now. I read." Belle stated and both women laughed.  
"Smart like her mother. You're gonna be quite a star in here." Madame Pomfrey told her, winking an eye at her. Belle smiled.  
"We won't stay long. We just came to give you this." Hermione said, handing the school nurse the same envelope she had given to Hagrid earlier. Madame Pomfrey took it and opened it. "We can't thank you enough for what you did for us, especially when Belle was born. We really hope you can make it." Hermione added later. Madame Pomfrey looked at her and smiled.  
"It would be a pleasure." she said. Hermione smiled and off she and her daughter went to the East tower. Belle was marvelled with the moving stairs and the talking portraits. It was like being inside a story for her. They stopped before a big phoenix statue and Hermione said the code words. The statue moved, showing a staircase. Slowly, Hermione and Belle upsed them and got inside a big office full of portraits and books.  
"professor McGonagall?" Hermione asked. A tall, sleder woman dressed in green walked to them. She looked at them surprised.  
"Miss Granger! So lovely to see you!" she greeted.  
"It's great to see you too, professor. Remember Belle?" Hermione asked. McGonagall looked at the little girl standing next to Hermione and smiled.  
"She looked more like you everytime I see her, with Mister Weasley's hair, of course." she said, then she kneeled down in front of the little girl. "Hello, miss Weasley." she said  
"It's Belle Granger-Weasley." the little girl corrected. McGonagall laughed a bit.  
"I'm sorry, miss Granger-Weasley. It's a pleasure to see you again. Do you know who I am?" the woman asked. Belle nodded timidly.  
"You're mommy's favourite teacher." she said as Hermione blushed. McGonagall smiled and got up. She and Hermione went to her desk as Belle sat down on the floor.  
"You have a lovely young lady." McGonagall said. Hermione smiled.  
"Thank you, professor." she said.  
"Here are the notes you asked me for. Hope they are helpful." McGonagall said giving Hermione a big pile of papers. Hermione grabbed it and put it in her bag. Then, she took out a third envelope.  
"Thank you. I'll let you know when I finish." she started. "I... actually... I'm here to give you this." she said, handing the envelope to the old woman. Professor McGonagall looked at it, inquisively, and took it. She started reading it and Hermione could see a small smiled.  
"It'll mean a lot to Ronald and I if you could be there. You were amazing to us throughout our years of schooling and... it really would mean a lot to us to have you there." Hermione said. McGonagall was speechless. She was about to say something when they heard some swooshing and giggling from the other part of the room. They got up and went there. The picture really shocked McGonagall. Little Belle was standing in the middle of the room while all sorts of books were flying around her.  
"Belle! What are you doing?" Hermione asked. the girl looked at her and the books fell to the floor. "Honey, you know you can't do that. Those aren't your books." she said sternly, then she looked at McGonagall. "I'm so sorry, professor. I'll put everything back in order." she said. She took out her wand and with a flick of it all the books started flying around and were back in their shelves. Hermione went to her daughter. "Now, appologize to Professor McGonagall for the mess you made." she ordered. McGonagall just looked at them, partly shocked, partly amazed. Belle went to her, head down. She looked deeply upset.  
"I'm sorry, miss. I promise I won't do it when I study here." she said. McGonagall wanted to smile, but didn't. Instead, she kneeeled down to the little girl and looked at her.  
"I just have one question: how did you do it?" she asked. Belle upped her head, surprised, and shrugged her shoulders.  
"I liked the books and I wanted to see them, so they started flying around." Belle explained. McGonagall looked at Hermione.  
"Is this her first...?" she started but Hermione shook her head.  
"She was 3 months old when she first levitated her baby bottle from the kitchen to Ron's room. She does that often whether it's to get some attention of because she really wants something." Hermione explained. McGonagall looked back at the little girl and smiled.  
"Well, there's no doubt she's going to he a remarkable student in a few years." she said. Belle smiled. Then, McGonagall looked at Hermione. "And I look forward to seeing you and mister Weasley getting married soon." she added. Hermione smiled. Everyone who truly mattered to her was going to be there for her big day and she couldn't be more thrilled about it.


	33. The signs

*** The signs ***

The first sign was noticed by Hugo one afternoon. He had gone to visit his sister to ask her for advice and was greeted by vomiting sounds coming from her bathroom. As he later got to know, it wasn't the first time she was sick that week. In fact, she had been sick for a couple of weeks now, but when he asked her about the subject, she quickly dismissed it, saying that she had probably caught a bug from her children.  
The second sign was found by Rose one day while they were walking around Diagon Alley. It was a girls' day, just the two sisters, and they had been walking around, window shopping and gossiping. So far, nothing suspicious was going on until they got to the candy store and her big sister got a big bag of chocolate frogs. Her claim was that she was getting them for her children and husband, but as they kept walking down the streets, Rose noticed her sister eating a couple of those chocolates (which she always said she disliked), saying that she had a huge craving for it.  
Hermione was the one who picked up the third sign. She was in her daughter's apartment, picking up the children for the day when she heard shouting from the kitchen followed by a cry, then a laugh and then snogging sounds, and again followed by a shout. Next thing Hermione knew, her daughter's husband was walking out the kitchen, looking between confused and annoyed by the whole situations and muttering things like "crazy that one" and "can't understand what's got her wand in a knot these days."  
It was a summer afternoon when Hugo found Rose sitting at the kitchen's table, sipping some tea and looking quite pensive.  
"A knut for your thoughts?" he asked, sitting across her. Rose looked at him.  
"Have you seen Belle lately?" she suddenly asked. He looked at her, a bit confused by the odd question, and nodded. "Have you noticed anything... odd about her?" she asked. He looked at her. Seems like he wasn't the only one who was thinking about it lately.  
"Well... as a matter of fact... last time I saw her, she looked quite sick. She was even vomiting... ew!... she told me she had caught a virus from the kids, but Adam told me later that she had been sick for quite some time." he said. Rose looked at him.  
"huh... Yesterday, she bought a big bag of chocolate frogs AND ate two while we were walking around." she said.  
"That's odd!" he exclaimed.  
"What's odd?" Hermione asked as she walked in the kitchen.  
"Belle bought a big bag of chocolate frogs yesterday AND she ate two of them." Rose answered as Hermione's eyes got bigger.  
"That IS odd. She never liked them that much." Hermione said. Rose nodded.  
"She's been odd for a while, it seems. Last week, she was throwng up in the bathroom when I went to see her. She said she had caught a bug from the kids, but she looked like she had been sick for a long while now." Hugo said.  
Hermione looked at them, then thought about the previous week events.  
"She's been quite sensitive lately. Last Monday, I went to pick the girls up and her and Adam were having a row, when she suddenly started crying and then laughing out of nowhere. Adam said she had been quite moody for some time." she told the kids. Rose suddenly perked up, her face bright as she had made a shocking discovery.  
"long-term throwing up... craving for things she doesn't usually like... crazy mood swings... Belle's pregnant!" she exclaimed. Hermione and Hugo looked at her, shocked.  
"Wow! another one! She's catching up with you and aunt Ginny, mom." Hugo said. Hermione glanced at him.  
"Well, Amelia and Lizzie are turning up fine, so there's no question that she'll be a great mom to this new one as well." Rose said. Hugo nodded in agreement. Hermione just sat down, wondering if her eldest daughter had already realized that she was expecting again. As she was thinking about it, a little white owl tapped in the kitchen's window.  
"Ila's here." Rose said, standing up from her seat and going to the window. She let the bird in and it quickly landed on Hermione's arm. Hermione took the piece of parchment that was in the animal's leg and unscrolled it. In Belle's very neat, cursive handwriting, it said:

 _"Mom: Guess what? I might be pregnant again. I was having a row with Adam about chocolate frogs and he shouted at me that I was being as irrational as I was when I was pregnant with the girls and it suddenly hit me: the craving for chocolates, the mood swings, the tiredness, the multiple times I've been throwing up in the past few weeks, and the fact that I don't let Adam touch my breast because it hurts. Can you please come and bring me some muggle home pregnancy tests? I'm too scared to cast the spell and I don't want to do it on my own. Please, don't tell anyone yet. I don't want anyone to know until I'm absolutely sure (though, after all these signs, I'm quite positive I'm expecting). See you soon. Belle."_

Hermione looked at the piece of parchment.  
"So? What does it say?" Rose urged.  
"Well... seems like she finally saw the signs." Hugo said from behind his mom. He had read the whole thing. Rose let out a squeak of delight and Hermione just sighed. Her family was getting bigger.


	34. Meeting friends

*** Meeting friends ***

The train was out of the station and Platform 9 3/4 was a small dot in the horizon. She sat comfortably in the seat of the compartment she was now sharing with Teddy and opened her book. She was through the third page of the story when the book suddenly flew out of her hands. She looked at it, confused, then looked at Teddy sitting in front of her and waving his wand with a mischivious grin in his face.  
"Teddy, come on! Give me my book back!" she asked as she tried to reach it. Teddy just laughed a bit.  
"Come on, Belle! You're not going to spend our very first ride in the Hogwarts Express just reading, are you? Don't be such a bookworm!" he said swaying his wand back and forth, the book still flying.  
"Just give it to me, Edward!" she shouted. Teddy swayed her wand again and the book flew out of the compartment.  
"Go and get it, bookworm." he laughed. She got up and angrily stroded out of the compartment. She looked both sides and spotted it. She went to it as a tall, blonde boy picked it up. He looked at her.  
"Is it yours?" he asked, handing the book to her. Belle looked at him and met his gaze. His eyes were sky blue-coloured.  
"Yeah. Thank you." she said, taking it.  
"It's a nice book. It has lots of stories." he said. Belle looked at him, shocked.  
"You... you know this book?" she asked. The boy nodded.  
"I read it to my sister a couple of times." he said, then he held his hand out to her. "I'm Adam." he said.  
"I'm Belle." she said, shaking hands with him.  
"Like in the girl in the story?" he asked with a smile. Belle looked at him, confused.  
"What?" she asked.  
"There's this muggle story called _Beauty and The Beast_. One of the main characters - the girl - is called Belle." Adam said. Belle looked at him, shocked. She couldn't believe that someone besides her knew about muggle stories.  
"I-I... I know. It was my mom's favourite story when she was a little girl. And my dad was reading it once while she was pregnant with me, and he said that the girl reminded him of mom and that he was sure that I was going to be like her, so... they named me after that character." she said, blushing a bit.  
"I think it's a nice name." he said, still staring at her. She smiled.  
"Do you... are you going to your compartment?" she asked, curious.  
"I'm actually looking for one. They're all occupied." he said kind of hopeless. Belle smiled a bit.  
"You can seat with us, then. Come on." she told him, and they both started walking. "So... how do you know muggle fairytales?" she asked.  
"My dad's a muggle and my mom's a witch, so we were raised both ways. What about you?" he asked.  
"Mom and dad are magical, but mom's a muggle-born, so she keeps a lot of muggle customs. We have many books at home, muggles and magic ones." she explained as they reached her compartment. She opened the door and walked in. Teddy looked at her, smirking.  
"You found it already!" he said. She stuck her tongue at him and sat down. Adam sat next to her.  
"He's Teddy Lupin. Teddy, this is Adam." Belle said introducing one another. Teddy and Adam shook hands.  
"So... any ideas which house you're gonna get? I'm hoping to be in Gryffindor like my uncle Harry and my dad. Mom was a Hufflepuff, so I guess that would be alright too." Teddy said. Adam shrugged his shoulders.  
"Dad works in advertising in the muggle world. Mom's a Wampus. She studied in Ilvermorny, so I guess any house in Hogwarts would be OK." the blonde boy said.  
"What's Ilvermorny?" Teddy asked, confused.  
"The school of witchcraft and wizardry in the United States. Apart from Hogwarts, there are other nine magical schools around the world. Ilvermorny, Beauxbatons Academy in France, Castelobruxo in Brazil, Durmstrang Institute in Bulgaria, Mahoutokoro in Japan and Uagadou in Uganda are the most reknown ones after Hogwarts." Belle said in her most matter-of-fact, Hermione-ish tone. Teddy rolled his eyes with a boring expresion in his face while Adam looked at her, astonished.  
"Wow! You know a lot! Anyway, mom moved to the UK after graduation. She met my dad in muggle London while looking for a place to live. They were neighbours. She works in the Ministry now, in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, in the International Magical Trading Standards Body." he explained. Belle just looked at him.  
"My mom works there as well. She started in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures but then she moved to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." she said. Adam looked at her, interested.  
"What about your dad?" he asked.  
"Dad was an Auror, but he quit when my sister Rose was born. Now he works in a joke shop with my uncle George." she said, putting her book in her bag.  
"Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Best joke shop in the world." Teddy said, grinning. Adam looked at Belle, shocked.  
"Your dad's a Weasley? Auror Weasley?" he asked, his big blue eyes looking at her. Belle sighed and nodded. "So, if that's your dad, then your mom is..." he continued, putting two and two together.  
"the Ministry of Magic." Teddy concluded with a smile as Belle kicked his shin. Teddy gave her a look and she glanced back.  
"That's quite cool!" Adam exclaimed. Belle shrugged her shoulders.  
"I guess so." she asked.  
The rest of the ride was nice. They talked about everything and anything. Belle and Adam realized they both had many things in common such as books and games, and Teddy found out he was a Quidditch fan as well. It was nice to find someone out of the family circle to talk about magic and other stuff. Silently, the three of them were hoping to get in the same house so they would be together and built their newly relationship through the forthcoming years.


	35. The perfect little family

*** The perfect little family ***

A little sob and the voice of his girlfriend singing greeted Ron one afternoon. He usually waited for Harry to go home and apparate together after Auror training, but his friend had been called by the minister of magic for a word in his office, and given the situation that was happening at Grimmauld Place, Ron decided he wouldn't waste any time and just apparate home as soon as posible. He walked to the kitchen, to where the voices were coming from. The view that he found was, for him, one of the sweetest ones: quills, parchments and books were spreaded on the table; Hermione was standing in front of the kitchen waving her wand as a cup and a plate flew about and landed on the counter while a boiling kettle flew over to it and poured some tea in the cup; their one-year-old redhaired baby was at Hermione's hip, her head nuzzled in her mother's neck, holding onto her tightly as she sobbed. As she moved, Ron could hear Hermione singing one of the many songs from the movie _'Beauty and The Beast'_ that she usually sang to Belle either as a bedtime lullaby or to calm her down when she was upset. Hermione looked at her daughter from time to time while she sang and waved her wand, smiling a little and kissing the little girl's head so lovingly that Ron thought his heart would explode from happiness. He went to them, smiling, and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's waist. Hermione stopped singing, startled at first. When she noticed whose arms were holding her, she relaxed and kissed him sweetly on the lips.  
"You're home early." she said as she waved her wand and another cup went flying to the counter.  
"Training finished earlier." he answered.  
"Where's Harry?" she asked when she noticed their black-haired friend wasn't joinging them. The kettle poured tea in the other cup, and with a flick of her wand, Hermione made both cups fly to the big table.  
"Kingsley wanted to talk to him. I was happy to be free earlier than usual, and I've been worried all day so I didn't wait for him and came home straight away." he answered as she nodded. "How is she?" he asked as they sat at the table. She looked at the baby in her arms and sighed.  
"She threw up twice and had a little fever earlier. She slept for half an hour or so, but she woke up, was sick and then she wouldn't go back to sleep or let go off me. I've tried to lay her back in the crib or the playpen, I tried to sit her on the floor or her high chair, but she wouldn't have it. She cried every time I attempted to leave her." she explained, then kissed her daughter's head.  
Ron looked at his little girl, worried. She had been sick for a couple of days now. They had taken her to St. Mungo's and healers had told them that she had a virus and that she should drink a few potions and rest for three or four days. Since then, Hermione had taken time off from her internship at the ministry and had stayed home to take care of Belle. Ron tried to stay as well, but he couldn't due to the training's tight schedule, so whenever he had a free moment during the day, he would apparate home to see how his girls were doing.  
"Should we take her back to St. Mungo's?" he asked, but Hermione shook her head.  
"They said it would take three to four days for her to heal. This is the third day. She's small and she's taking the potions in small doses, so it'll take her longer than an adult to heal. Plus, she's teething, so she's bound to feel a bit feverish and upset." she said, sipping some tea. Belle was now quietly looking at her mother. Hermione looked back and kissed her. "My poor little girl! You'll soon feel much better, baby." she said, pulling the baby closer to her. Belle just snuggled closer to her and grabbed her mom's shirt tight. Ron smiled. He looked at all the books and parchments on the table. He reckoned Hermione had been trying to study before Belle started to be sick again, and he was sure she would want to catch up with her work reports and her last essays for the NEWTs, so he got up and attempted to take Belle from her mother, only to make the little girl whimper and hold tighter to Hermione.  
"Come on, sweetheart! Let's give mommy a break so she can finish with her work." he said softly, still trying to take Belle from Hermione, but the baby wouldn't have it. She clutched her little hands to her mom's clothes tighter than ever. Hermione just rubbed her daughter's back reassurengly.  
"It's alright, Ron. I already finished the reports for work." she said, still looking at their daughter sat on her lap.  
"What about your essays?" he asked. Hermione shrugged her shoulders.  
"I only have Potions left, and it's due on Friday. It's only Wednesday, so I can finish it tomorrow." she answered. He looked at her, shocked. The Hermione Granger he knew would never leave an essay for the last minute, let alone a NEWTs one. Seems like the last year they've experienced had changed her, he thought. She looked at him in the eye. "I want to make sure she's alright. I hate to see her suffering. And it's not like I have to write the essay from scratch. I only have the conclussion left. Besides, she's more important than any grade I could get." she said, looking back at Belle who was quietly playing with Hermione's necklace. The little girl upped her head and looked at her mother, smiling a bit. Hermione smiled back and kissed her. Ron just looked at them, smiling.  
When Harry arrived to Grimmauld Place later that day he found Ron doing the cooking and Hermione laying the table and holding the baby. Whenever she was near Ron, he would grab her waist and pulled her into a kiss. Harry sighed. He never imagined seeing his friends so happy together, neither to say with a small child to take care at such a young age. But they were. They were acting like a family. A perfect little family.


	36. He's no Prince Charming

*** He's no prince charming ***

"Mommy, prince charming is real, right?" Belle asked her mother one afternoon while she was coloring in the living room. Hermione upped her head from the couch she was laying in and looked at her 6-year-old daughter.  
"Well... I wouldn't say that, sweetheart." she said. Belle looked at her with her eyebrows furred and her eyes squinted.  
"Why, mommy?" the little girl asked.  
"Well... because... he's not, baby." Hermione said.  
"But... daddy's your prince charming." Belle said. Hermione's eyes got bigger.  
"I... I wouldn't say he's a prince charming, sweetie." she said with a little smile.  
"Prince charming has blue eyes... daddy's eyes are blue." the little girl stated.  
"yes, that's right, but..." Hermione answered before her daughter cut her in.  
"and prince charming is sweet and nice. Daddy's sweet and nice too." Belle said in her most matter-of-factly tone.  
"Well, yeah, but..." Hermione said as Belle interrupted her once more.  
"and he's brave... daddy's brave." Belle said  
"unless there's a spider in the house." Hermione said. Belle just gave her a look. Hermione sighed. Belle sat next to her on the couch. Little did they know that Ron was already home listening to them from the door.  
"I see where you're going, but daddy's no prince charming, sweetheart. He can't be one. He has no castle, like prince charming has. And no horses." Hermione said. Belle looked down and sighed, disappointed. Hermione held her as she laid one of her hands on her 6-month-pregnant belly. "And... there's another reason why daddy can't be prince charming. See: when we were at Hogwarts, your daddy was Griffyndor's quidditch keeper. He was SO good that no quaffle passed any of the posts, so the students from our house started singing 'Weasley's our king! Weasley's our king!'" she told the little girl. Belle laughed a bit.  
"Did you sing that too, mommy?" she asked. Hermione looked at her and nodded, smiling a bit.  
"That's why daddy is no prince charming: he's already a king." Hermione said, proud, big smile on her face. Belle giggled and Ron smiled from where he was hidden. It was true. He was no prince charming. But he was the king of Hermione's and his daughter's hearts, and that was much better.


	37. Dancing lessons

*** Dancing lessons ***

Hugo looked at the invite in disbelief. A ball. Hogwarts was going to hold a ball in the winter and he knew for sure that this was going to be the worst for him. For a start, he had no idea how to dance. He knew he wasn't one for the music. And if he asked his mom or dad for help, it would be incredibly embarrassing. Then, there was the date issue. There was this particular girl that he really liked, a smart Ravenclaw who was in the same year as him, but he thought she was way out of his league and was too shy to ask her out. Still, he wanted to take a shot, so after giving it a lot of thought for a couple of weeks, he decided to seek for help. And who better to help him than one of his eldest sisters. He was happy Belle had taken some time off from her work that week. He knew she was the one to help him. When he arrived at her house, he was greeted by Belle's vomiting noises from the bathroom. He made a face and went to her. He held her hair and rubbed her back. When she was finished and felt better, they went to the living room.  
"You want tea?" She asked Hugo. He shook his head.  
"Are you sure you're alright, Belle? I can come another time or just... ask someone else." he said. Belle shook her head.  
"It's a virus. It'll go away." she said, then sighed. "So... a ball." she said. He sighed and nodded. "Who are you gonna ask as your date?" she asked later, smiling a little. Hugo shrugged his shoulders and blushed a bit. Belle giggled. "Who is she?" she asked. Hugo sighed.  
"Olivia Prescott from Ravenclaw. She's gorgeous! She has amazing brown eyes and soft black hair, and that incredible smile... and have I told you how clever she is?" he said with a goofy smile on his face. Belle giggled.  
"Sounds amazing," she said. He sighed.  
"She's way out of my league. There's no way she's gonna go with me." he said, looking down.  
"Well, not with that attitude!" she said.  
"Even if she says yes, it'll be a disaster. I can't dance!" he exclaimed.  
"That's why you're here, aren't you? So we can make you as good as Fred Astair." she said.  
"Who?" Hugo asked, confused. Belle rolled her eyes and sighed.  
"Never mind." she said. She took out her wand and with a little wave of it, she moved the furniture from the living room. "Come on. Let's begin!" she encouraged him, taking his hand and leading him to the center of the room. She put his left hand on her hip and held his right hand up right. "Ok, now: we're learning the waltz, which is the main dance of the ball. First things first: you need to count to 3. 1...2...3...1...2...3..." she started. Hugo repeated the sequence in his head. "Once you get the 1-2-3 beat, you start. move your right foot forward on one." Hugo did as she told, the entire time looking at his feet. "then on two, step forward and to the right with your right foot, like making an 'L' on the floor with your feet." Hugo did exactly like she told him. "Great! Now, on three, slide your left foot over to your right and you will be standing with your feet together." she explained as Hugo slid her foot to the right. Belle smiled and looked at him. She then taught him the next three steps, showing him what's called 'the box step'. "Now. Let's do it again, but don't look at the floor. Look at me." she said. He nodded. With a flick of her wand, Belle turned on the radio and a soft waltz started to play. Hugo held her and repeated the sequence they had just danced. Little by little, he was doing it a little bit faster, and he soon was making his big sister twirl. When the music ended, they just stopped. Belle was smiling widely.  
"I haven't danced like this since my wedding. You did amazing, Hugh. I'm sure you and Olivia will have a great time together." she said. Hugo smiled, shyly.  
Soon after Christmas, Belle received an owl with a letter and a little box. The letter, written in his brother's wobbly handwriting, said:

 _"Merry Christmas, Belle!_  
 _Just wanted to thank you for your lessons. Olivia and I had a wonderful time at the ball. She even agreed to be my girlfriend. Can you believe that? Anyway, hope you and your family are having a great time and hope you like my gift._  
 _Lots of love,_  
 _Hugh."_

Belle smiled and opened the box. Inside it, there was a little white rose crystalised in a snowflake. She hung it on the Christmas tree with the rest of the decoration and jus smiled, thinking of her baby brother and how fast he was becoming an amazing young man.


	38. Repeating History

*** Repeating history ***

She was rereading her speech for the Wizengamot for the fifth time that day when Rose's head appeared in the fireplace. She was confused and a bit worried as she had explicity told her children not to use that fireplace to contact her unless it was for extreme urgencies. Nevertheless, there were times when the kids and even Ron floo-called her for some "urgencies".  
"Rose! How many times did I tell you not to...?" she started in an exasperated tone before her 20-year-old daughter cut her in. She looked worried and her tone really worried Hermione.  
"It's Belle, mom. Something's wrong with her." Rose said as they heard a scream. Rose's head disappeared for a second. "You should come now. There's blood and she's screaming so much!" a panic tone in her daughter's voice made Hermione leave the speech on her desk quickly. She recognized that type of screaming, and with what Rose just told her, she knew exactly what was going on with her first born. She went and opened the door of her office and poked her head out to see her assistant, Ethel, sat at her desk.  
"Ethel, cancel every meeting and appointment I have today. I have to leave immediately." Hermione informed her. Ethel looked at her, confused.  
"But... minister... you have the Wizengamot in half an hour." she stammered.  
"I know. Cancel that too. Something extremely urgent came up and I have to leave immediately. I'll take the floo from my office. Thanks, Ethel." Hermione said, then she got back inside, closed the door and walked to the fireplace. "Rose, dear: try to keep your sister calm. I'm on my way." she said. She stepped into the fireplace and shouted her daughter's home address. She was greeted by a very pale Rose and a very distraught Belle who was laying on the couch, clutching her hands on her stomach, hysterically crying. Hermione went to them immediately and hugged her girls.  
"Scorp and I came to pick up the girls for the day when we found Belle here crying. I didn't know what to do so I called you." Rose told her. Hermione nodded and held Belle as she cried.  
"Where are the girls?" she asked.  
"Scorp took them home with Hugo. I called Adam to his office, but his assitant said he was in an important meeting and that she would tell him to call back. I just..." said a very panicky Rose. Hermione took a deep breathe.  
"OK. Help me me take your sister to the fireplace. I'm taking her to St. Mungo's. Owl your father to tell him and call Adam to tell him where we are going." Hermione said as she helped Belle up from the couch.  
"M-Mom... i-it... hurts." Belle cried. Hermione held her tight and kissed her head.  
"It's gonna be fine, baby girl. We're going to St. Mungo's now." she said, closing her eyes tightly to prevent tears from coming down her face. She knew her daughter's pain. She knew what she was going through. She had to act fast.  
As soon as they had gotten to the hospital, Hermione screamed for help while her daughter fell down on her knees and screamed of pain. Healers took her to a room immeadiately, leaving Hermione alone in the waiting room. She heard her daughter scream and Hermione couldn't help but burst into tears. She had gone through that. Seven times, to be precise. One more painful than the previous one. She remembered them all vividly as if they all had been yesterday.  
The first one as a month after her and Ron had gotten engaged during a Sunday brunch at The Burrow. She'd never forget the extreme pain in her stomach, the torrents of blood coming down her dress, and Ron's worried and distraught look on his face when he had realized what was happening and the fact that he couldn't do anything to help her.  
The second one was three months after their honeymoon. She was taking a morning shower before heading to work when she started having bad cramps in her stomach. She then felt cold water running through her legs until she had realized that the water was red tainted and a small lump was floating in it. She was heartbroken. She didn't even know she was having a baby.  
The third time happened while she was asleep one night in January. She had really bad cramps that wouldn't let her sleep. Ron noticed the sheets were wet and that's when they both realised they were loosing another child.  
The fourth time it happened, Ron was in a mission. They had found out about the pregnancy a few days before he had left. He had been gone for three days now and she was waking up to very sharp pains in her stomach. She knew them. She knew them well and she couldn't help but bursting into tears. This time it was quick, before her daughter had woken up, but it didn't mean it wasn't more painful.  
The next two times were after Rose was born: one after Rose's first birthday; the other one before Christmas. Both times were at night and at home. Both times were equally painful.  
The last time was after Hugo turned 5. They hadn't even been trying. It happened, and although they had said they didn't want so many children, they were happy. She was at work this time when she felt pain in her stomach and passed out because of it. When she woke up, Ron was sitting by her side, his eyes red and puffy. She knew it when she saw him.  
She wiped her tears away and sighed. She couldn't hear her daughter crying anymore. Instead, she saw the healer coming out of ther room, Belle's husband approaching to the room and crying at the words the healer was saying to him. He disappeared into the room moments later and Hermione allowed herself to cry again.  
"Hermione, love, what happened? Is she alright?" Ron asked, kneeling down in front of her as he held her hands. Hermione just shook her head and cried harder. Ron sighed. He knew. He could tell. And he was distraught. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "She's gonna get through this, just like we did. She's strong just like you, love. She's gonna be alright." he whispered in her ear as tears fell down his cheeks. He couldn't believe what was happening to his child. He couldn't believe history was repeating itself in his daughter and that he couldn't do anything to prevent it. Only thing he could do is be there for Belle and his family, talk to them about what they had gone through, share his and Hermione's own experience, and maybe that would help his little princess to heal.


	39. The boy friend

*** The boy friend ***

"Are you really going to do it?" the blue-haired boy asked. The red-haired girl sitting in front of him nodded. "Are you sure of this?" he asked. The girl shrugged her shoulders. They were on the train going back home. Their last semester at Hogwarts had been a good one and now they were ready to have some fun and relax before fifth year started.  
"Mom already knows." she said. The boy's eyes got bigger.  
"You told her?" he asked. She nodded.  
"She helped me pick out the dress for the ball. Of course I was going to tell her! Besides... it's about time. I mean, we've been dating since Christmas, and now we'll probably be the whole summer apart from each other. It'll be suspicious when his owl arrives more frequently than it usually does during the holidays, don't you think?" she asked. The boy sighed.  
"I guess you're right." he said. "But, Belle... what about your dad?" the boy asked. Belle looked at him, raising an eyebrow.  
"What about him, Teddy?" she asked.  
"He'll go mental!" he said.  
"That's why I told mom first." she said, then she looked out the window.

"Can you tell me again why is this guy Adam coming today?" Ron asked Hermione as they were getting dressed one morning.  
"He's your daughter's best friend since year one and she wants him to come over for a visit." Hermione said, trying to hide the real reason. Truth was, Hermione knew Adam wasn't coming to visit as 'Belle's best friend' anymore. She knew her daughter wanted to properly introduce him to her family and that Ron would go balistic if he knew what the real reason was.  
"Isn't it weird that his ruddy owl has been coming here every single day since the holidays started? I mean, how much can a bloke write?" Ron asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"The fact that you weren't into writing much doesn't mean other guys can't. I think it's sweet that they write each other often. I mean, they're best friends. They probably miss each other." she stated.  
"We were best friends and I missed you and I didn't write as often as he does." Ron said. Hermione just sighed. She was about to say something when Hugo and Rose came running to them, big smiles on their faces.  
"He's here!" Rose announced.  
"And you'll never guess what he did when he got in." Hugo said. Hermione and Ron looked at him, curious. Rose nudged him and gave him a look. He looked back.  
"What? Did he do something to her?" Ron asked, a bit annoyed. Hugo looked at him and nodded. "What? What did he do?" Ron asked, desperate.  
"He kissed her." Hugo said, smiling.  
"He WHAT?" Ron shouted as Hermione grabbed his hand.  
"Kids, why don't you go downstairs with them?" she told her children. Rose and Hugo ran back downstairs to where their big sister was. "Now, Ron: take a deep breathe, and try to calm down. I'm sure what Hugo meant was that he kissed her ON THE CHEEK. Like you and I used to do back then." she tried to reassure him. Ron did as she said, and they both went downstairs and to the living room where their 15-year-old daughter and her 'friend' were sitting. As soon as they arrived, Belle and Adam got up from the couch and went to them.  
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. It's very nice to see you. Thank you again for the invite." Adam said nervously as he shook hands with Ron. Hermione smiled.  
"It's nice to have you here, Adam. How's your family?" she asked.  
"Very good, thanks. They send their regards to you all." Adam said. Hermione could notice both teenagers were very nervous. She noticed Adam's hand dangling next to him and trying to grab Belle's hand unsuccessfuly while the girl was fretting her hands and looking down. It was an adorable sight, she thought. Ron, on the other hand, just looked at the 14-year-old boy the same way he looked at potential death eaters. Finally, Belle sighed and decided to talk.  
"Mom, dad... I just... I wanted you to... to meet Adam properly." she started.  
"Don't we know him? He's been your friend for what? three years?" Ron asked.  
"Four. But... today he's not coming as my friend. See... We just... I... I-I wanted you to know him as my... boyfriend." she said, almost whispering the last word. Rose and Hugo looked at them, shocked.  
"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted, making everyone startle. Hermione glared at him.  
"Ronald. Kitchen. Now." she commanded him as she grabbed him by an elbow and took him to their kitchen. She then cast a silencing charm so the kids wouldn't listen to the conversation.  
"Bloody freaking hell! How... A BLOODY BOYFRIEND?" he only managed to say.  
"Swear one more time and I'll hex your tongue into oblivion." Hermione warned him.  
"Hermione! She has a... she can't! She's a baby!" he exclaimed.  
"She just turned 15, Ron. She's not a baby anymore." she said, smiliing a bit.  
"But how... she just... He is..." he stammered. Hermione just looked at him.  
"He's a nice boy. He's respectful, and sweet, and kind and he's been nothing but nice to our daughter." Hermione said calmly. Ron looked at her.  
"But... Hermione... A BLOO- A BOYFRIEND!" he shouted. It was more like a pout, which Hermione thought, was adorable. She sighed and put her hands on his shoulders.  
"I know it's a shock. I know you stil see her as a 5-year-old, but it's time to let that image go, Ron. She's a teenager now. And she's in love." she said. Ron's eyes got bigger than plates.  
"In... In love? My Belle?" Ron asked, shocked. Hermione nodded, smiling a little.  
"I'm afraid so, darling." she said. She took his hand and took him to the door. She opened it a little to discover their teenage daughter and her boyfriend holding hands, both blushing a bit. They were both smiling as they talked to Hugo and Rose who were more than eager to know the whole romance story between their big sister and her best friend. Adam kissed Belle's cheek and she blushed even more.  
"She hasn't smiled like that in a long time." Ron said, shocked by the view.  
"I know." Hermione said. "He makes her really happy. And that's what we want, right? For Belle to be happy." she said. Ron looked at her in the eye and nodded.  
"He better not make her cry, or I'll hunt him down and lock him in Azkaban." he said. Hermione giggled and kissed him lightly on the lips.  
"Be nice, ok? This is hard for her." she said, squeezing his hand. He sighed.  
Moments later, both parents went out of the kitchen, Hermione holding a tray with a jar of lemonade, glasses and a plate with cookies.  
"So... Adam, Belle says you play Quidditch." Ron started. Belle and Adam looked at each other nervously.  
"Yes, sir. I'm... I'm a keeper for Gryffindor." the boy said.  
"Like you, daddy." Rose commented. Ron smiled a bit.  
"Belle told me you were one of the best in Hogwarts. That's... quite intimidating." Adam said. Ron nodded. "She also told me you're an awesome chess player. I assumed she learnt that from you. She's quite good. I still haven't won a single game since we've known each other." the teenage boy added. Ron looked at his daughter who was blushing and smiling as she still held hands with the boy. It was true. She wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a beautiful young lady, and if someone could make her smile like that, then he knew this guy was worth to get to know.


	40. Potions

*** Potions ***

It had been a pretty exahusting day, and it still wasn't finished. She still had a few reports to finish. She walked in the kitchen of the little cottage in Ottery St. Catchpole where Ron was cooking dinner. He looked at her and smiled.  
"Busy day?" he asked. She went and kissed him sweetly on the lips.  
"It still hasn't finished. I still have two reports to finish for tomorrow." she said putting the files she was holding on the table.  
"Good thing that dinner is almost ready." he said waving his wand so plates and glasses flew from the cabinets and the cuttlery flew from drawers to the table.  
"Where's Belle?" she asked as she took the files again.  
"In her room playing. You wanna get her?" he asked. Hermione nodded, kissed Ron one more time and went upstairs. She stopped at a lilac and yellow room and looked at the 5-year-old red-haired girl sat on the floor throwing things inside a cauldron. Hermione smiled a bit. It reminded her of the time when she was 12 and was brewing polyjuice potion in the girl's bathroom at school. She knocked on the door, not taking her eyes off her daughter. The little girl turned her head to it and smiled widely.  
"Hi mommy!" she greeted. Hermione left her files on a little chair next to the door and went to her daughter.  
"Hi, baby! What are you doing?" she asked, kissing her daughter's head as she sat on the floor next to the little girl.  
"I'm making a potion." Belle said in a matter-of-factly tone as she poured some glitter into the cauldron. She was surrounded by little bottles that had pretend liquids and ingredients, all of them were part of a potions toy kit that Hermione had purchased at George's store a few weeks before when Belle took an interest into potion making. Hermione just smiled a little. She loved to see her daughter so concentrated on her own games.  
"And what kind of potion, may I ask?" Hermione asked.  
"A make-you-big potion." Belle replied not taking her eyes off the cauldron. Hermione looked at her.  
"You mean an Aging Potion?" she corrected. Belle looked at her and nodded. "And why are you making that potion?" Hermione asked later.  
"So I can be big like you." the little girl said as if her answer was plain obvious. Hermione's heart melted.  
"Why do you want to be big like me, sweetheart?" the bushy-haired woman asked.  
"So I can help you with your work. If I help you with it, then you'll finish faster and you'll have more time to play with me." Belle said. Hermione could now feel her heart shattering to pieces and she looked at the little girl with tears in her eyes. She had been so absorbed in her work lately that she hadn't been around to see her daughter much. And Belle was growing up so much and so fast that Hermione regretted missing things from her life.  
"That's... incredibly sweet of you, darling. And mommy's very sorry that she's not here with you very often and that she has to work so much. But... mommy has a very important job, and she wants to do it good so she can make the world better for you and everyone." Hermione explained, sniffing. Belle just looked at her. She knew her mom was working to give magical creatures better rights and, in her eyes, her mom was a heroine. However, she missed playing tea party with her or reading before dinnertime.  
"I know, mommy." Belle said. Hermione smiled.  
"How about you stay this little for some time, and instead you and I make a new and better potion after dinner?" Hermione suggested. Belle looked at her with big eyes and a big smile on her face. She nodded vigorously and took her toy wand that was next to her on the floor.  
"Tergo" she said waving her wand around the cauldron. She then looked at her mom and stood up. Hermione stood up as well and took her daughter's hand. "What potion will we make, mommy?" she asked as the walked down the stairs.  
"I don't know." Hermione said. "What do you think we should make?" she asked as they reached the kitchen.  
Belle thought for a while. She had that pensive expresion: her eyebrows furred, eyes looking up at the roof, her index finger taping her chin. It was a lot like Hermione, and Ron thought she was adorable.  
"Maybe a potion that makes you faster so you finish your work quick." the little girl said. Hermione smiled as they sat at the table and had dinner.  
After dinner, Ron found his wife and his daughter sitting on the floor of the little girl's room. He leaned against the doorframe and just watched them as they mixed things in the cauldron placed in front of them, talking about the different ingredients the potion was going to have. When everything was finished. Belle took her toy wand and looked at Hermione, encouraging her to do the same thing. Hermione grabbed her wand and imitated her daughter, saying the same words she was pronouncing. When they were finished, Belle gave Hermione a small bottle to put the potion in. Hermione carefully took the cauldron and put the potion in it, then she closed it tight and sealed it with magic.  
"What should we call our potion?" Hermione asked Belle.  
"Mommy and Belle's fast potion." Belle said solemnly. Hermione smiled and wrote the words in the label.  
"Now, it's time for bed for you. So we should clean this." Hermione said. Belle stood up and started to put her things away. Hermione tucked her in and sat on the bed, strocking the little girl's red curls.  
"Don't forget to take the potion tomorrow, mommy." Belle said. Hermione smiled and kissed her daughter's head.  
"I won't, baby girl." she said, then got up, turned off the lights and left the room.  
The next day, Hermione got up really early to finish her reports and left for work. She kept the little bottle with her, looking at it from time to time. She smiled. From that day on, she left work in time to pick up her daughter from school. Some days, Ron picked her up, but Hermione was home an hour or so after that, and she made sure to spend time with her family. She wanted to do good in the world, but most importantly, she wanted to do good at home. And that was more important to her than any laws in the world.


	41. The word

*** The word ***

Hermione was never one to swear. She always tried to find other words - proper words - to say whenever she felt frustrated or mad. Ron, on the other hand, swore like a sailor. It just came natural to him. Hermione tried to stop him (or at least make him swear less) every chance she could, especially since they had a 14-month-old daughter who repeated every word she heard. Hermione was ever so careful around Belle, hushing or glaring at anyone who dared to swear in front of her little girl. But sometimes, words find their way to be heard.

"MOMMY!" She woke up to the loud voice of her child and hands shaking her. She rolled over and slowly opened her eyes. She looked at her clock. As if on cue, it struck 4:30am. Hermione sighed. "You have to be kidding me!" She thought. Every night since Ron had left for a mission, Belle woke up at 4:30am sharply and ran in her mother's room, usually saying she had had a bad dream. Hermione knew quite well that she missed her daddy terribly and that she wanted to stay in the big bed her mommy and daddy often shared. Hermione turned on her lamp, sat up and picked up the little girl who was standing next to her with watery brown eyes. Her red bushy hair all over the place.

"Hey, sweetheart. It's a little late for little princesses like you to be out of bed. What's wrong?" Hermione asked as she sat a sleepy Belle on her lap.

"Bad dream, mommy." The little girl said rubbing her eye with her little hand. Hermione held her close.

"You wanna tell mommy what was it about?" Hermione inquired as she stroke her daughter's hair. Belle just shook her head.

"Where daddy?" Belle asked.

"Daddy's working, sweetheart. He's catching bad wizards with uncle Harry, remember?" Hermione said. Belle looked up at her and sniffed.

"Wif wand?" She asked, a little smile forming in her face as she moved her hand pretending she had a wand in it. Hermione smiled as well.

"Yes, with his wand." She replied. She kissed the little girl's head and laid her on the bed on Ron's side. "Come on! It's time to say nighty night." She then said tucking her daughter in.

"When daddy home?" Belle asked as she did every night.

"Tomorrow, darling. When you're back from school." Hermione replied. "Now, time to close your eyes. You have early school tomorrow and mommy has to finish some reports for that idiot of her boss." She said, and in that minute she gaped and froze in panic, hoping Belle hadn't heard her. But it was too late. Little Belle was wide awake, and in a matter of seconds, she started to repeat the only word Hermione had emphasized without realizing and that she never wanted to hear from her daughter's mouth. Belle repeated it again and again, laughing at the new funny word she had learnt. No matter how many times Hermione told her to stop, Belle wouldn't listen. Eventually, after a severe reprimand, Belle gave in and fell asleep.

The next day, Ron was welcomed back home by her loving girlfriend and his bright daughter.

"We really missed you." Hermione said as she kissed Ron.

"I missed you too." He said kissing him back.

"Idiot" they pulled away and looked at the source of the word, Ron with a shocked look on his face; Hermione with an embarrassed one.

"What did you just say?" Ron asked. Belle looked at him and giggled.

"Idiot. Idiot. Idiot." She sing sang.

Ron looked at her, then at Hermione whose cheeks were turning a violent shade of red.

"How come... Where did she...?" He managed to ask. Hermione looked down.

"Shemayhavehearditfromme." She said quickly, almost in a whisper.

"Hermione, love, I didn't catch that. Where did she learn that again?" He asked trying to make eye contact with her. Hermione sighed and looked at him.

"She may have heard it from... me." She said. To her surprise, Ron stated laughing. "It's not funny, Ronald!" She snapped. Ron stopped his laughing, but still smiled.

"How could she have learnt that from you? You never swear. And if you do, you make sure she's not around to listen." He said.

"She's been waking up at half past four in the morning ever since you left and I was stressed over that and work..." She began.

"Diggory's giving you a hard time again?" He asked sympathetically. She nodded.

"I may have used that I word she's saying when I referred to him the other night and well... Here we are." She said. Ron hugged her and kissed her head.

"It's just a word, love." He said reassuringly.

"But she'll repeat it everywhere! How could I have been so careless, Ron?" She asked covering her face with her hands.

"You're only human. And you know how she is, Mione. She'll hear a new, interesting word and repeat it until she hears another one. We just have to teach her when she can use it and where. That's all." He said. She looked up at him and smiled a bit. Then she reached up and kissed him. "And hey! Idiot is not that bad." He said as Crookshanks walked past them, scratching his ankle. "Bloody cat!" He shouted.

"Bloody. Bloody. Bloody." They heard a little voice said between giggles. Hermione glared at Ron. He gave her one of his forgive-me smiles. She sighed. "It's just a word." She thought. Just a word.


	42. The movie

*** The movie ***

The first time Hermione showed Belle a Disney movie was when the little girl was 2. She and Ron had moved things from her old house to Grimmauld Place. While looking through the boxes and sorting things, Hermione came across her old VHS and decided to show them to her boyfriend and their daughter. The first movie the family watched was _'Beauty and the Beast'_ which was Hermione's favourite. Little Belle seemed marvelled by the whole thing, smiling at it, nodding along and even humming some of the tunes as she recognised them as the lullabies her mother sang to her at night. Belle grew very fond of Disney movies as time went by. So much so that she made her siblings watch the movies with her over and over again and she even sang to them some songs when they were upset. Soon the little Granger-Weasleys were into all the Disney movies, from _'Snow White and the seven Dwarfs'_ to _'Brave'_ and _'Tangled'_.

Sixteen years later found Rose, Hugo, Hermione and Ron at the breakfast table one Thursday morning. Ron was serving breakfast while Hermione read the Daily Prophet, Hugo played with his cereal and Rose read a muggle newspaper. As the 11-year-old girl turned over the page, her eyes got bigger and she let out a scream of delight that made her family startle.  
"Bloody hell, Rosie! What is wrong with you?" Ron asked as Hermione glared at him. Rose just smiled at them and showed them the newspaper.  
"Look what's on at the cinema as from today." she said pointing at the title of the movie. Hermione looked at it and smiled. "Can we go, mom? Please!" Rose pleaded.  
"I don't see why not." Hermione said as Hugo moved and looked at the newspaper as well.  
"Do you think Belle saw it? We should tell her and make it a girls' night out!" Rose said excitedly. Hugo squinted his eyes and read the title of the movie.  
"Is it the one with the dancing plates and the singing candlestick?" he asked intrigued. Rose nodded. Hugo's eyes got bigger. "Can I go too? I love that scene where all the silverware dance." he said humming the song of the scene in question.  
"We could make it a family night out." Ron said. Hermione nodded and Rose got up.  
"I'm gonna call Belle!" she said, excited. Then, she ran out of the kitchen.

In a little apartment in London, a young couple was also having breakfast and reading newspapers. From time to time, the blonde boy glanced at his redheaded girlfriend and smiled. She caught him one of those times and giggled.  
"What?" Belle asked. Adam shrugged, smiling, then got up and went to her. He leaned forward and kissed her sweetly on the lips.  
"Have I told you how beautiful you are?" he asked when they pulled away. She smiled and blushed.  
"Every single day, but not today." she said, then she turned the page over of her muggle newspaper. "Look! _'Beauty and The Beast'_ is on this week." she said as she read the movie releases.  
"I thought you'd seen that movie at least a thousand times?" he said.  
"I did... but not the live action version." she said, smiling.  
"Silly me! Of course you haven't seen that one." he said mokingly. She laughed. There was a twinkle in her eyes that showed Adam the excitement she had for that movie. "Maybe this weekend we could..." he said before a shout from the fireplace cut him off. He sighed and Belle got up and went to the living room.  
"Hi Rosie! No need to shout, you know. This is a small apartment, hun." the 19-year-old girl said.  
"Have you seen the newspaper today?" Rose asked. Belle noted excitement on her sister's voice and smiled. She nodded. "We're going to see it tomorrow. Me, Hugh, mom, dad. You should definitely come. It's your absolute favourite! And we haven't done anything all of us together since you moved out last summer." Rose said.  
"Well, Rosie, see... the thing is..." Belle started before Adam appeared behind her.  
"She'll definitely be there, Rose. Do I make her wear the blue dress or the yellow one?" he asked. Rose laughed.  
"Whatever she wants, but I think costumes are not required. You can come too, Adam." the little girl added.  
"Thanks, Rose, but... I have plans already. Maybe another time." he said as Belle turned her head to him, confused.  
"I thought you said..." she started before he cut her in.  
"We can still go on Saturday. I'm sure you'll want to go again, won't you?" he said, smiling a bit.  
"Are you sure?" she asked. He leaned forward and kissed her quick.  
"Absolutely, sweetheart. Go and enjoy it with your family first." he said, then went back to the kitchen. Belle smiled, then turned her head back to the fireplace.

The next day, the five Granger-Weasleys were at the local cinema watching their beloved childhood movie. As soon as the movie started, Belle, Rose and Hermione were mesmerized by it. They sang all the songs along. Even Hugo sang along when _'Be Our Guest'_ came on and Hermione could swear Ron was mumbling the lyrics as well. She caught a glimpse of Belle's eyes when she was singing _'Something There'_ and some tears ran through her face as she could picture her eldest daughter as the little girl she had once been, sitting in front of their TV set with her eyes fixed on the brunette who was singing on the screen. She remembered Belle asking to wear the blue dress or the yellow one for family gatherings, her dancing and singing around the house and even demanding her mother to sing one of those songs before bedtime. She then looked at Rose who was engaged in the story just as much as her big sister was. Hermione was still couldn't believe how much her family enjoyed that movie after so many years. When they went out of the cinema, the kids were engaged in a conversation about the changes in the movie, the dresses and the songs.  
"It's was a good idea to come." Hermione said intertwining her arm with Ron's.  
"Yeah. They kids really enjoyed it. And we haven't done something like this all together in a while." he said. She nodded.  
"They still love that movie as when they were little." she said as they heard their three children singing _'Be Our Guest'_ at the top of their lungs. Hermione smiled. She was glad she had introduced her family to that world. She was glad they had chosen the name of her beloved movie character for their daughter. It had been a very special one for her and she was glad she could share it with her children.


	43. Unexpected news

*** Unexpected news ***

"You are the most insensitive man I had the misfortune to meet!" were the words that welcomed Ron and Hermione to the little apartment in London, and by the expressions used in the sentence and the tone of the voice, they realized it was their daughter who was doing the talking. Apparently, her and Adam were in the middle of a heated argument to even notice that her parents had arrived for dinner.  
"Oh, Come on, Belle! You're overreacting." Adam said. Belle's eyes got as big as plates.  
"Overreacting?! Overreacting?! You're the one who's overreacting here!" she shouted. He snorted. "I just asked you to lay the table for dinner." she said, her arms crossed across her chest.  
"And when I told you I couldn't, you yelled at me!" he fought back.  
"Because I needed you to do it!" she shouted.  
"I was bathing our daughter, for crying out loud! I wasn't drinking butterbeer in front of the TV!" he shouted back, throwing his arms in the air. Hermione and Ron looked at each other.  
"Isn't this like a deja vu to you too?" Ron asked in a whisper. Hermione nodded. Watching her daughter having a spat with her husband reminded Hermione of the many fights her and Ron had had in their youth. "You think they'll notice if we say something now?" he whispered.  
"I don't think so." she whispered back as Belle placed her hands on her hips and glared at her husband.  
"And I was expecting to have a quiet dinner with our daughter and her family." Ron said. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"What is wrong with you these days, Belle? Why are being so irrational?" Adam said.  
"What's wrong with me these days?! You want to know why I'm being so bloody irrational, Adam?!" she shouted. She was beyond furious by now.  
"That would be ideal, sweetheart." he answered sarcastically.  
"BECAUSE I'M PREGNANT!" she shouted. Ron and Hermione gaped, Adam stared at Belle, shocked, and silence enveloped the whole room.  
"You... you are... again?" Adam managed to ask. Belle nodded and looked down. He went to her and held her arms in his. "How far... when...?" he asked then.  
"2 and a half months. The night of your birthday, if I had to be precise." she answered. Adam looked at her and suddenly got on one knee. Hermione and Ron just looked at them, shocked, but neither of them dared to say a thing.  
"Belle, you can be the most irrational, exasperating, bossy, demanding and most daring girl I ever knew. But you're also the most caring, smarter, the most gorgeous and the most incredible one as well. You gave me the most wonderful gift by giving birth to our daughter, and in a few months you're going to give me another wonderful one. Would you do me the honor to give me a third gift and be my wife?" he asked taking out a small velvet box and opening it. Belle looked at him, her hands on her mouth.  
"Adam, I... I just... I can't... I don't want you to do it just because we're having another baby and..." she started before he cut her in.  
"I've had this ring with me for three months, waiting for the right moment to do it. But I realised every moment is right when I'm with you. So... Belle... my beautiful Belle... would you be my beauty for evermore?" he asked. Belle looked at him, her eyes welling up. She smiled and nodded, then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He put his arms around her waist, pulling her closer as they kissed.  
"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted as Belle and Adam pulled away and Hermione elbowed him. The young couple looked at the eldest one, partly shocked.  
"How... how long have you been here?" Belle asked as Adam stood up.  
"Since you called him 'the most insensitive man you had the misfortune to meet.'" Ron quoted. Belle blushed.  
"So..." she said.  
"Belle..." Adam said showing her the box. Belle looked at him and smiled shyly, blushing even more. He put the ring on her finger. It was a beautiful red rose filled with small diamonds.  
"I guess we have a wedding AND a baby shower to plan." Hermione said, smiling, as she went to hug her daughter.  
At the beginning of the evening, Ron and Hermione wer expecting to have a quietly expected dinner, but as they already knew, everything that had to do with their children was always unexpected.


	44. New Year

*** New year ***

Although it was the first New Year eve since the war ended, it was a merry one. Or at least it seemed like it. George was slowly recovering from his twin's death. He had his ups and downs like everyone else (more downs than up, mainly), but he was getting back on his feet thanks to his family (especially Ron who was helping him at the shop every chance he got) and his new girlfriend Angelina. Since the shop was back on, he had decided to bring little treats to celebrate the new coming year. He started with very loud firecrackers which had 7-month-old Belle crying in angst as her mother held her. The rest of the Weasleys seemed to be having a whale of a time with those things, but Hermione was clearly feeling otherwise. After unsuccessfully trying to calm her daughter down one more time when another firecracker exploded, she had decided to call it a night and go back inside the Burrow. She went straight into Ron's room and held her daughter tight, rubbing her back and singing softly as she looked down the window. After a couple of minutes, the crying ceased, and little Belle seemed to be content and calm in her mother's arms. Hermione didn't know how long she and Belle stayed there, just looking out the window.  
"I was wondering where you've gone." a familiar voice said from behind her. She turned her head around and looked at Ron who was wrapping his arms around her waist and smiling broadly.  
"The firecrackers were really scaring her. So I thought to bring her here for some peace and quiet. Plus, you have a good view for the fireworks." she explained.  
"You know, if firecrackers scare her, don't you think fireworks will do that too?" Ron asked, kinda worried. Hermione just nodded.  
"That's why I placed a silencing charm on the room. We can watch the fireworks without hearing them." she said, kissing her daughter's head.  
"Always the smart one." Ron said, smiling and kissing Hermione's head. They stayed in silence for a while just looking at their daughter who was peacefully sucking her thumb and looking at her mom curiously. Hermione just smiled and kissed her.  
"She's perfect." she said looking at her little girl with so much love. Ron smiled and nodded.  
"Just like her mom." he said.  
"I still can't believe she's here. A year ago we were running for our lives and now she's here with us." she said. Ron nodded.  
"I know. It's amazing." he answered.  
"Do you... do you regret it?" she asked between worried and scared. He looked at her, confused.  
"Regret what?" he asked looking at her.  
"Being parents so young." she said looking down. He tilted her head to him with his hand.  
"I regret many things, Hermione: not asking you to the Yule Ball, fighting with you for silly things for so many years, dating Lavender when I could have clearly dated you back, but I never EVER regret having Belle in our lives. You heard me? NEVER." he said. Her eyes welled up with tears and she smiled a bit, sniffing. "Do you... regret it?" he asked, afraid of her answer. She shook her head vigorously.  
"Not for a second." she answered.  
"Then, why are you doubting?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders.  
"I just... I started thinking about my parents and everything, and... I don't know! I'm so stupid! I guess I just... I don't know. I thought that now that you're in Auror training and everything, that maybe... maybe you did regret it." she said. He sighed. He was annoyed, she knew it.  
"I know having a baby is A LOT of responsibility, Hermione. And many people would say that having a child now would slow down our careers and everything, but we're managing quite well. We have our system and we're doing fine. I would trade any Auror training just to have you and Belle with me safe and happy." he said.  
"Really?" she asked. He nodded.  
"You and her are the best things that ever happened to me. I don't know what I would do without you two in my life." he said, then he kissed her. It didn't last long as Belle decided she was a bit uncomfortable in their embrace and moved a bit. They pulled away immediately and looked at her.  
"It's almost midnight." Hermione said. And the countdown began: 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... "Happy new year, Ron." she said, smiling shyly at him. He smiled back.  
"Happy new year, love." he said, then they kissed. Belle moved and giggled. Outside, fireworks of many colours and shapes were colouring the blue sky and everyone was singing and celebrating. After all, it was a new year. A new beginning of a new life.


	45. The bump

*** The bump ***

There was something magical about holding her daughter's little hands while she was standing up and giving her first steps. At least, for Hermione. She couldn't believe how much her little girl had grown in such a short period of time. Just months ago she was a small newborn baby fighting for her life. Today she was a 9-month-old redhaired, smiley toddler who could stand up on her own for one whole minute and walked while somebody else held her hands. It was amazing to just see her giggling while she took step after step, just trying to move forward.  
"Don't you have an essay to write?" Ron asked from the living room's doorframe one rainy Saturday afternoon. Hermione just shook her head.  
"Handed in the last one of the week yesterday after work." she said, looking at Belle as she held her hands. Belle giggled and walked slowly around the room. She was beginning to say 'ma' and 'da', and since Hermione and Ron were really encouraging her to talk, they were sure she was going to say either of those words soon.  
"You think she'll start walking on her own soon?" he asked.  
"Maybe." she said as Belle stopped and looked around. The little girl looked up at her mom, like asking what to do next. Hermione just smiled. "Tired already?" she asked. Belle giggled and turned around, moving her chubby little legs.  
In that moment, the chimney lit up and Harry emerged from it holding a rather restless 10-month-old Teddy Lupin in his arms. Hermione and Ron looked at him and smiled. Belle stopped walking and looked at them as well.  
"Hey mate! Seems someone doesn't like the floo network much." Ron said as he rubbed Teddy's back.  
"Actually, he's been like that all morning." Harry said, dropping Teddy's blue baby bag on the floor. Belle let go of her mother's hands in that instant and just sat on the floor, looking intriguely and the two 'new' people that walked in.  
"Is something wrong with him?" Hermione asked, concerned.  
"Andromeda said he's teething, so that's why he's kinda cranky." Harry answered. Hermione immediately tried to summon the pain potion but she didn't get it. She sighed, then she looked at Ron, confused.  
"we used the last of it three days ago when she woke up crying because of her teeth." he answered as he nodded his head towards his daughter. Hermione nodded.  
"Well, I'll go and get more, then. Better have some now before she starts complaining again. I'll also go and buy some ingredients I need for my next NEWTs potion." she said, taking a piece of parchment from the coffee table.  
"you're going to leave us here alone with the babies?" Harry asked, shocked. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes as she went and got her purse and her coat.  
"Oh, come on, Harry! It's not like you've never been left alone with them before. You've been alone with Belle plenty of times." she said, putting her coat on.  
"But... but Ron was always there!" he retorted.  
"He's going to be here too. I'M the one who's going to the store." she said, giving him a serious look. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon." she added. She went and kissed Belle on the head, then went and kissed Ron. A few minutes later, she disapparated.  
"Well... now what?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged his shoulders as little Teddy started crying. Harry sighed and picked him up. He rocked him back and forth, trying to calm the little one down, but it didn't work.  
"Hey, Teddy! Want to take a little ride, buddy?" Harry asked. He then went to the blue bag and took out a small toy broom. He carefully sat Teddy there, making sure the little guy got his hands firm on the broom. Teddy got quiet instantly as the broom lifted him from the floor just a few inches. Ron looked at him, surprised. "He really loves it. It soothes him." Harry explained. Then, he looked at Belle who was quietly sat on the floor looking at Teddy, intrigued. Harry perked up and smiled. "Ron, where did Hermione put the toy broom Ginny and I got Belle for Christmas?" he asked. Ron shrugged.  
"I don't know. Probably somewhere where she can't get it. Why?" Ron asked. Harry took out his wand and summoned the toy broom which came flying to him from the nearest cupboard. He showed the toy to Ron, big grin on his face. Ron knew that look on his friend's face. It was the look that always got him into trouble.  
"Oh, no. No, Harry." the redhaired started.  
"Why not? Don't you wanna see your child on a broom?" Harry asked.  
"Someday, yeah! But she can barely stand up on her own feet without help. What makes you think she'll sit balanced on a broom, mate?" Ron asked.  
"Teddy can." Harry said.  
"Mione's gonna kill me." Ron said.  
"She won't if she doesn't know." Harry said, winking an eye to him. "Come on, Ron! It'll be perfectly safe! We're here with them." Harry said as he went to his niece and picked her up. "Hey there, princess! Wanna give it a try too?" he asked as he sat the little girl on the broom. Belle looked at the toy curiously, then looked back at him. He made sure she got her hands on the broom and gave it a little lift. The broom rose a few centimetres from the floor. Belle let out a squeak, then giggled. "See? She's a natural!" Harry said as Ron started to smile. In that moment, Belle leaned forward and the broom moved quickly, making the little girl crash against the sofa and falling on the floor. Ron and Harry ran to her immediately as she started crying hysterically.  
"Bloody hell, Harry! Hermione's gonna kill me! Look at her!" Ron exclaimed as he picked his crying daughter up. Just in the middle of her forehead, Belle started to have a very visible bump.  
"It wasn't my fault!" Harry retorted as he went to Teddy. Ron held his daughter tight, trying to calm her down, but it was useless. Belle kept crying hysterically, her face red as a tomatoe from it.  
"It is your bloody fault, you git!" Ron shouted.  
"Don't swear in front of the baby, Ron! And why is our daughter crying like she's been hit on the head or something?" Hermione said, leaving the bags she was carrying on the floor. Harry and Ron startled at the mere sight of her. Hermione went to Ron and looked at Belle who was holding her arms up to her mother in the second she saw her. Ron could see Hermione's face transform from concern to anger in just seconds. She quickly took the baby from Ron and held her. She examined the baby, then looked around, then she glared at Ron and Harry furiously. She didn't have to be a genius to figure out what had happened there.  
"It's alright, sweetheart! Mommy's here! Mommy's gonna fix it! Let's get you some ice and have a nice nap upstairs, ok?" she said sweetly to the baby as they went to the kitchen. After getting an ice pack and placing it on Belle's forehead, she took the little girl upstairs to her room. It took her a good half hour to calm her down and put her down in her crib. When she turned around to leave the room, she found Ron staring at her. She gave him a deathly glare and walked past him and to their room. He followed her.  
"I know you're angry... and I'm sorry." he started, closing the door behind him. Hermione turned around, her hands on her hips.  
"ANGRY, RONALD?! TRY FURIOUS! EXTREMLY AND UTERLY FURIOUS." she shouted. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN WERE YOU THINKING? SHE'S NOT EVEN A YEAR OLD! SHE CAN BARELY STAND ON HER FEET! AND YOU GO AND SIT HER ON A BROOM! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" she continued. Good thing Ron had placed a silencing charm before he started talking or she could have woken up the entire country.  
"It was Harry's idea." was all Ron could say. Hermione looked at him. "wrong answer." he thought.  
"OH, I'M SORRY, BUT LAST TIME I CHECKED, I DIDN'T HAVE A CHILD WITH HARRY BLOODY POTTER!" she shouted. "She's _your_ daughter, Ronald. Not Harry's, yours. _You_ are the one who makes decisions about her wellbeing, not him!" she said, walking back and forth around the room. Ron had never seen her so mad before, not even when he had dated Lavender back in 6th. "You're lucky she only had a bump on her head. It could have been so much worse! She could have had something broken. We could have lost her!" she shouted, her eyes welling up with tears. That's when Ron realized that Hermione was not only mad and worried but scared. "We could have lost her." she repeated, tears running through her cheeks. Ron went and wrapped his arms around her.  
"But we didn't. It was just a bump." he said  
"But it could have been worse! She could have hit her head harder and gotten unconcious and... we nearly lost her twice, Ron. I couldn't bear it if she... if we..." she cried. He held her tight.  
"I know. I wouldn't want that either. But... we can't protect her from everything in the world, Hermione. She's gonna start walking soon, and I'm sure she'll fall and hit herself with something along the way a million times. The important thing is that we're there for her, helping her, loving her, ready to help her stand up and try again." he said. She upped her head to him as he took a piece of paper from his pocket. He showed it to her. "I took it before the accident. Look at her." he told Hermione. She looked at the picture of her little girl on the broom, giggling.  
"She's happy." she said, smiling a bit and sniffing. Ron smiled, then kissed her head.  
"I really am sorry for letting Harry get her on that broom, and for not watching her more closely. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you or her, right?" he asked. She nodded.  
"I just... I'm scared... she's growing up so quickly, I just... I'm scared of her getting hurt. Of not protecting her enough. Of not being there for her enough." she said.  
"You're there, she knows it. She knows you love her and you're taking the best care of her. We have to let her grow, Hermione." he said, then he kissed her.  
"Mama. Mama" they heard someone said. They looked at each other and smiled. They ran to their daughter's room. Belle was standing on her crib, her hands firmly on the wooden bars, big smile on her face. It seemed like the incident on the broom was forgotten by her already. Hermione went and picked her up.  
"Mama!" Belle exclaimed, reaching out to Hermione's cheek. Hermione kissed her little hand.  
"I'm gonna put the broom away and..." Ron started before Hermione interrupted her.  
"Don't. Maybe she'll want to try again later... with both of us watching her." she said. He smiled.  
Hours later, little Belle was on her broom again, big smile on her face. She was slowly flying forward to meet her mother who was waiting for her at the other end of the room, big, proud smile on her face. Ron had his hand on the baby's back, protecting her for any harm. He was also smiling proudly at his daughter. Because he knew that she was going to have many bumps in her life. But he also knew that him and Hermione were going to be there for her.


	46. Advice

*** Advice ***

He loved her, he was sure of that. He had loved her since the first day he saw her on the train to school. They had been together for 6 years now and he wanted to be with her for many, many more. For eternity, if it was possible. He wanted to ask her for that, but he didn't know how. So he decided to visit someone who he was sure was going to be his biggest help.  
He arrived at the little cottage a little after lunch time and he was received by two little girls who held onto his legs.  
"Scorpy!" the blonde girl said smiling at him.  
"Scopy! Scopy!" the brunette one exclaimed. Scorpius looked down at her and smiled.  
"Hey, Scorp! Good to see you! But, if you're looking for Rosie, she's..." the young woman who walked to them started before he interrupted her.  
"At the Cannons' game with your dad and your brother. I know. But, I wasn't actually looking for her. I wanted to talk to you." the blonde guy said. The woman smiled.  
"Ok, girls. How about you go to the playroom and pick a movie to watch while mommy and Scorpius talk? We'll have tea after that, alright?" she suggested. Both girls let go of Scorpius' legs and shouted of joy. They both ran to the playroom.  
"I'll be back soon. Sit. I'll mave some tea." Belle said before going after her daughters. A few minutes later, she went back to the living room with a tray with two cups, a teapot and a plate with cookies. She placed them on the coffee table and sat down.  
"So... what's on your mind?" she asked as he served him a cup of tea. He smiled her thanks and took the cup.  
"Well... I need to ask you something." he said as he fidgeted with something in his pocket. Belle looked at him, intrigued, and he took out a little box. He opened it nervously and showed it to her. Her eyes got big and she giggled.  
"Well, I feel very flattered, Scorp. I always liked you, but you must know I already belong to someone else." she joked, showing him her left hand. He smugged, rolling his eyes. "Ok, joking aside: it's a gorgeous ring." she said. Scorpius smiled shyly.  
"You think she'll like it?" he asked.  
"She'll love it!" she told him.  
"How do I... what do I... you think she'll say yes?" he asked. Belle smiled.  
"She loves you with all her heart, Scorp. She'll definitely say yes." she answered.  
"How do I... How do I ask her?" he asked.  
"Well... you can always take her out to dinner, give a little speech about what she means to you and then pop the question." she said.  
"Is that how Adam asked you to marry him?" he asked. Belle laughed.  
"Oh, no! He actually didn't prepare anything at all. I mean, he did give quite a speech and it did was sweet and kinda romantic, but it definitely wasn't planned. See, we were arguing and I had just told him that I was pregnant, so the next thing he did was kneeling down on one knee and asking me to marry him. I told him I wasn't going to do it just because we were going to have a new baby, but he said he had had that ring for months and that he was waiting for the right moment to do it." she explained with a big smile on her face. Scorpius just looked at her. She sighed. "Is there a special place for you guys? Like the place where you had your first date or your first kiss? Something like that?" she asked.  
"Hogsmeade and Yule Ball at Hogwarts." he asnwered.  
"Maybe you can ask McGonagall for a special permision to propose to her there or something." she said. Scorpius sighed. "Listen: it doesn't matter if you do it in a posh restaurant, in the Grand Hall or just at the breakfast table at home. At the end of the day, what matters is the two of you and your feelings. Just... listen to your heart and do it, Scorp. Just like you told her you loved her at the Yule Ball." she added. Scorpius nodded and smiled. He got an idea.  
"Thanks, Belle! for everything." he said.  
"Anything for you and my sister, Scorp. I'm so happy for you guys! You're perfect for each other." she said. And it was right. Scorpius knew it. He had known it for years. He loved her and he was going to ask her to stay with him for the whole eternity.


	47. So Gaston

*** So Gaston ***

School started three weeks ago and he was already bugging her every chance he got. She wasn't at all fond of him: he was egocentric, arrogant and a complete jerk. He thought that being in 5th year and part of the Quidditch team made him a catch for every girl at school. She had tried to tell him many times that she wasn't interested. In fact, she had emphasized it so much that she thought he had finally taken a hint, but there he went again, trying to chat her up in the library of all places.  
"So, Belle... how did you enjoy the Quidditch practice yesterday?" he asked, leaning against the bookshelf and blocking her way out. Belle just sighed.  
"I was just there for my friends. I'm not a sports fan, really." she said as she tried to move left. He moved again, smiling. She didn't look at him in the eye. That smile actually made her shudder.  
"I heard you're an excellent seeker." he said. She rolled her eyes.  
"Liam, I appreciate the compliment, but I really need to go." she said. Liam wouldn't budge. He just stared at her, smiling greedily and moisting his lips with his tongue. Belle tried to move forward but he moved closer to her.  
"You know... Hogsmeade weekend is soon. I was thinking we could..." he started before someone cut him in.  
"There you are, Belle! I've been looking to you everywhere. I have the table set and everything for our study session." Adam said, reaching out his hand to Belle. The 16-year-old boy between them looked at him. Adam looked back, defiant. Liam sighed and moved against the bookshelf, giving Belle space to finally walk away. The redhaired girl quickly took her friend's hand and made her way to him. They both left quickly to their table in the corner where Teddy Lupin was already reading a Potions book.  
"I owe you big time. I've been trying to get rid of him for 15 minutes but he doesn't take a hint. He's just that thick!" she exclaimed, annoyed, and she plumped herself in the nearest chair.  
"He has a thing for you, you know. He's been talking about you during Quidditch practices." Adam said, a note of annoyance in his voice.  
"And I couldn't care less! I'm not interested in that git at all. God! He's so Gaston!" she exclaimed covering her face with her hands. He looked at her a bit confused.  
"Gaston?" Teddy asked, confused. She took her hands off her face and looked at him.  
"You know, Gaston. From ' _Beauty and the Beast'_. He's the guy in town who's trying to woe Belle into marrying him because he's so handsome, but he's nothing but an arrogant, egocentric and selfish prat who doesn't take her seriously." she explained. Adam smiled and nodded. After four years of friendship, he was very familiar with Belle's ' _Beauty and the Beast_ ' references. "I don't care if he's the king of England or the last man on Earth. I would never date him." she stated. Adam nodded, secretly relieved that Liam's courtship wasn't working on Belle. She sighed, took the nearest book and opened it. "I ran out of ideas on how to get rid of him. I hope he finally takes the hint someday and leaves me alone." she said.

On Saturday morning, students were all eager to finally enjoy a weekend outside the castle. Belle was in the gates reading. Teddy and Victoire had left 15 minutes before as they were having a date, leaving Belle and Adam alone.  
"Wonderful book you're reading." someone said from behind her. She startled and turned her head to the voice. To her unpleasant surprise, Liam was looking at her with that eerie smile.  
"Have you read it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"Well... erm... I... read many books in my life." he stammered. She rolled her eyes. "So... I noticed you're alone here. How about we head to Hogsmeade for a butterbeer? Maybe a little escapade to the alley?" he suggested. She shuddered. The mere thought of being alone with him made her sick. Unfortunately, she had ran out of excuses and everything she told him to dismiss him just made herself more and more desirable to him. She was about to say something when she saw Adam walking to them.  
"So sorry I took so long, sweetheart. I couldn't find my scarf and then Professor Flitwick stopped me in the hallway." he said. Belle could feel his hand in hers, his finger intertwinning with hers in a very visible way. At the sight of this, Liam backed down a bit and looked at them confused. "So, ready to go?" Adam asked, then he did something she didn't think he would ever do: he kissed her cheek. She felt her face getting flushed and she just nodded. "Thanks for keeping my girl company, man." he then told Liam, and off him and Belle went. They were halfway through the road and to the carriages when Belle realised that they hadn't said a word since they left the castle.  
"Erm... thanks for helping me with Liam." she said. Adam just nodded.  
"He's been getting quite insistant. I hate that he wouldn't listen to you when you say no." he told her. She nodded, then looked at him and raised and eyebrow.  
"You called me... sweetheart?" she asked, half smiling. He blushed and shrugged his shoulders.  
"I thought that, if he saw that you were with someone already, he would leave you alone. Like the wolves left Belle alone when the beast came to her rescue." he said.  
"So... you're my beast now?" she said, smiling. He blushed even more.  
"Maybe." he said, smiling. She looked down and noticed they were still holding hands.  
"You can... let go of my hand if you want. Liam's not around to see us." she said, secretly hoping he wouldn't want to let go of her. He looked at her.  
"oh. yeah. Right. But... your hand's cold. I noticed you didn't bring your mittens with you." he said.  
"I forgot them in the castle." she said.  
"I... I wouldn't want your hand to freeze, you know. At least, until we get to the Three Broomsticks." he said. She smiled and nodded as they kept walking down the snowy road hand in hand. She was certain she didn't need a Gaston in her life. But she certainly wouldn't mind having Adam as her beast.


	48. Telling the news

*** Telling the news ***

Hermione couldn't believe it. Her little her was going to have a baby of her own soon.  
"How did you do it?" it was Belle's question the day after she had told her boyfriend and parents the news.  
"How did I do what, sweetie?" Hermione asked as both women were having lunch together that Friday. Belle and Adam were meeting his parents for dinner that night to tell them the big news, and then they were going to meet the rest of the Weasleys on Sunday brunch.  
"Tell your family you were pregnant the first time?" Belle asked. Hermione looked at her and thought about it.  
"Well... we didn't have many people to tell around that time. I think I told you this, but when I was pregnant with you, your father, your uncle Harry and I were on the run hunting hurcruxes and trying to survive without getting caught. My parents... My parents..." at this point, Hermione's eyes began to well up and her voice started to tremble a bit. Belle placed her hand on top of hers.  
"It's ok, mom. You don't have to tell me." she said, but Hermione shook her head.  
"You asked and I want you to know." she said, then sighed. "Anyway, my parents were in Australia, and your dad's family wasn't around because we were in the middle of the woods somewhere around the world, so there weren't too many people to tell. Just your dad and your uncle Harry." she explained.  
"How did you tell dad?" Belle asked. Hermione thought for a while. She didn't want Belle to get upset by telling her that her father wanted to leave them before knowing about them, but she reckoned her daughter deserved to know at least part of the story.  
"In the middle of an argument. We were both outside and we were both frustrated because we thought we were going nowhere with this hunt. He said he wanted to leave, so I told him I was pregnant. I'd been meaning to tell him for a week or so, but I could never find a good time. And now he was saying he was going to leave. I couldn't take it anymore. So I told him." Hermione explained. Belle looked at her, speechless for a minute.  
"And what happened?" she finally asked.  
"He kissed me. Then, I threw up for a while. And when I was better, we talked about it and we were ok." Hermione said.  
"And dad didn't leave?" Belle asked. Hermione smiled and shook her head.  
"Dad didn't leave." she said.  
"Was he happy... you know... about me?" Belle asked, a bit worried about the answer.  
"He was shocked at first, but he was happy about having you." Hermione said with a smile on her face.  
"What about uncle Harry? You said him and dad were the only people around you when you were pregnant." Belle said.  
"Yeah. That was... different." Hermione said as she started to remember that day at the tent:

 _*Flashback*_  
 _Hermione fidgeted with the cover of her bunkbed and bit her lip. It's just been 24 hours since she had told Ron about the baby. Luckily, he had been ok about the subject. Shocked, of course. But he was ok. After coming back to the tent with her, he appologized to Harry for the fight. The dark-haired boy also appologized and offered to take the first night watch so his friend could get dry and clean. In the meantime, Hermione had cleaned herself and had made some tea. Her and Ron talked for a long while about their current situation and, mainly, about their feelings for each other. Although they had confessed their love for one another long ago, they hadn't talked or done something about it since their last night together. Now that they had come clean about everything, they had decided to explore this new relationship between them._  
 _"You ok?" Ron asked holding a cup of tea in his hand. Hermione startled and looked at him, then nodded. "It's gonna be alright." he said, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in his. She looked at him nervously._  
 _"What if he's mad at us for all this? What if he doesn't take it that well? What if he thinks the baby would be a distraction from this hunt and that we won't be able to help him with his mission? What if...?" she started before he cut her in._  
 _"Hermione, he has to know. You're starting to show already. He'll know something's going on, sweetie. We have to tell him." he said, calmly. Hermione looked at him, surprised. This was a new side of Ron, one that she surely was loving. She smiled a little. He leaned forward and kissed her. Then, he got up, taking her hands and pulling her up. "Ready?" he asked. She took a deep breath and nodded. They went to the table where Harry was already having some tea. They both sat in front of him. He looked at them, raising his eyebrows. He knew something was different about them since the night before. He knew something had changed between them after that talk outside the tent. He couldn't put his finger on what exactly._  
 _"You guys alright?" he asked. Hermione and Ron looked at each other, then they looked at Harry._  
 _"Harry, we... we need to tell you something." Hermione started. Harry nodded._  
 _"Alright. What is it?" he asked._  
 _Hermione took a deep breath. She was starting to feel her stomach twirling around and thought that she was going to be sick any moment now. But she knew she had to tell him._  
 _"See... a couple of months ago, we... well, we were at Grimmauld Place, and well... Ron and I were talking and well... we said some things and then they led to some other things, and then..." she stammered._  
 _"Hermione, you're not making any sense. What is it?" Harry asked between annoyed and concerned. This was not the Hermione he knew. The Hermione he knew went always to the point._  
 _"Ok, fine. So... Ron and I... we..." she started_  
 _"Hermione and I slept together the first night we were at Grimmauld Place... and some other nights." Ron interrupted her. Hermione gaped at him and gave him a shocked look. Harry's eyes got as big as plates._  
 _"So you... you guys..." Harry stammered._  
 _"Yeah. We shagged." Ron said with a goofy grin on his face._  
 _"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed, scandalized by Ron's saying. Ron looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, his ears turning red._  
 _"What? It's the truth. And it's not the biggest news we have." He said._  
 _"What bigger news could you have?" Harry exclaimed. Hermione sighed._  
 _"I'm pregnant." she announced, looking down at her hands. Harry's jaw dropped. This really was big. "Harry, we... we didn't plan it. It just... it happened. But we don't regret it at all. And we want you to know that it's not going to change anything between us. And it won't be a distraction or anything. We're still commited to help you destroy the horcruxes." she explained. Ron held her hand and looked at his friend. Harry was speecheless. Sure, he's been waiting - even praying - for his friends to finally come to their senses and get together, but he never expected it to escalate so much in so little time, needless to say to do it in the middle of a war._  
 _"You alright, mate?" Ron asked, concerned._  
 _Harry snapped back into reality._  
 _"Yeah. So... you two are... together now?" he asked. Ron and Hermione looked at each other and smiled a little, blushing._  
 _"Yeah. We're together now." Ron said kissing Hermione's hand._  
 _"Are you... are you mad at us?" Hermione asked Harry._  
 _"No. No! Of course not! I'm... I'm happy for you, guys. And... shocked. I mean... yeah... finally... it was about time you got it together and finally realise you liked each other. But I never thought..." Harry said._  
 _"Yeah. We didn't think so either. But it happened." Ron said._  
 _"Are you ok... with the baby?" Harry asked. Hermione and Ron looked at each other and nodded._  
 _"We talked about it yesterday. It's a shock, but... it's our baby." Ron explained, placing a hand on Hermione's belly._  
 _"How far along are you?" Harry asked Hermione._  
 _"Nearly 5 months." she said. Harry nodded._  
 _*End of Flashback*_

"So? How did you tell uncle Harry about me?" Belle asked, making Hermione snap back to reality.  
"We told him during breakfast." Hermione said.  
"And how did he take it?" Belle asked.  
"He was shocked about the whole situation, but he was ok... eventually. He was very supportive, although your dad and I knew that he was dead worried about everything that was happening at the time." Hermione said. Belle sighed.  
"I just hope he's as supportive with me as he was with you when I tell him." Belle said. Hermione smiled. She was sure Harry was going to be happy for his niece. He always had a soft spot for her and she knew he was going to be there no matter what.


	49. The sorting

*** The sorting ***

She knew what to expect when they all arrived to the Great Hall. Her parents had told her all about their experiences at Hogwarts. She knew what was going to happen as soon as she got off the train: Hagrid would call for first-year students and take them in boats through the lake and to the castle. Then, one of the school teachers (this time was Professor Flitwick) would receive all of them before the big wooden doors that took to the Great Hall and he would explain to them about the houses and the sorting ceremony. They would all walk in the corridor and to the front of the room where a stool with an old pointy hat would be waiting for them. The hat would sing a song, then one of the teachers would call out their names, they would have to sit on the stool as the teacher placed the hat on their heads. The hat would see inside their minds, see what they were all made of, and then it would choose a house for them. Her mother had told her that when she was at her sorting ceremony, she was so anxious and eager to know that she ran to the stool as soon as McGonagall called out her name. Her father, on the other hand, was nervous and went to it slowly. She was nervous as well, but was OK. She saw many kids sitting on the stool, houses names being shouted. Gryffindor. Slytherin. Hufflepuff. Another Slytherin. Ravenclaw. And then, loud and clear, professor Flitwick called: "Granger-Weasley, Belle."

She heard murmurs from the rest of the school.

"Did he say Granger-Weasley?"

"She's Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley's daughter."

"Her mom is the Minister."

The 11-year-old redheaded girl approached to the stool carefully and sat on it as Headmistress McGonagall placed the hat on her head. That's when she heard it.

"Let's see what we have here. A new Weasley, I see." The voice said.

"I'm a Granger too!" Belle replied, a bit annoyed.

"I see that too. A brilliant mind like hers. A big heart too. Fearless as well. You could do brilliantly!" The hat said. She was about to say something but the hat interrupted her. "Loyal and brave as your father as well. Tough call, I'd say." It continued. Belle swallowed.

"I... I know my parents were Gryffindors and very proud of it." She said.

"And where would you like to be?" The hat asked. Belle stood silent for a moment. She wasn't expecting that question at all. She thought about it for a little while before answering.

"Well... I'd like to be in a house where I can grow not only intellectually but also as a person. I want to be in a house I can be proud of and in which my family is proud of as well." She said. The hat was silent for a minute, then it spoke.

"OK, then I shall put you in... GRYFFINDOR!" He shouted. There were shoutings of joy from the Gryffindor table. She got up and smiled, then she walked to her new family at school proudly.


	50. The letter

*** The letter ***

"The owl won't be here any faster if you keep staring at the window like that." Hermione told Ron one morning, then she kissed his cheek. Ron looked at her and sighed.  
"It should have been here hours ago." he exclaimed.  
"Sweetheart, she's been there less than 24 hours. She's probably still trying to adjust to everything there. I'm sure we'll ge a letter from her later today, Ron." she answer as she poured some coffee in her mug. Rose and Hugo were already sat there having their breakfast.  
"What if she's ashamed because she didn't get into Gryffindor? What if she got into Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff? Or..." he said, then he gulped, a terrified look on his face. "Slytherin?" he said, nearly in a whisper. Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed.  
"You're being quite melodramatic, hun. Any house would be lucky to have her." she said. Ron was about to say something when Hugo interrupted.  
"An owl!" he exclaimed, pointing at the kitchen's window. Ron opened it and let the bird in. He immediately took the letter from it, causing the little bird to haul and bit his finger.  
"Bloody bird!" Ron exclaimed as he opened the envelope and took out the piece of parchment.  
"Is it from Belle, daddy? What does it say?" Rose asked. Ron smiled widely. He cleared his throat and started reading out loud.

 _"Dear mom, dad, Rosie and Hugh: You won't believe how amazing this place is! It's everything you've been telling me about and even more! The castle is incredible. The train ride was alright. Teddy wouldn't let me read my book, but that's beside the point. The boats ride was also great! I was in a small boat with Teddy and Hagrid (by the way, Hagrid says hi!). The sorting ceremony was so emotional! I knew what to expect but I was really nervous as well. Teddy got into Gryffindor. He was so happy because he wanted to be in the same house as his dad and uncle Harry, though he said he wouldn't mind that much if he was sorted into Hufflepuff like his mom. I have a new friend. His name's Adam. His mom works at the Ministry in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Her name's Amelia Weston. Maybe you know her, mom. Anyway, he's also in Gryffindor. He's really, really nice. The banquet was out of this world, dad! I ate so many treacle cakes that I had to go to bed early, so that's why I couldn't write to you. I share my bedroom with 4 other girls._  
 _I'm sorry this is short but I gotta go to class. Miss you all so much!_  
 _Lots of love,_  
 _Belle."_

Ron looked at the letter desperate. Hermione looked at him.  
"She... she didn't... did I miss it? She didn't say which house she's in." Ron exclaimed.  
"She's in Gryffindor, hun." Hermione said matter-of-factly. Ron looked at her, his eyes wide as plates.  
"How do you know that? She never mentioned it! She said Teddy was in Gryffindor, and that new friend of hers too. But she never said which house she was sorted into!" he exclaimed. Hermione sighed, took the letter from him and turned it over. There was something else written: _"PS: I'm in Gryffindor too."_ Hermione shook her head, smiling, and sat down as Ron kept looking at the letter, wide smile on his face. Their daughter was going to do good at Hogwarts. She was sure of that.


	51. Teenage Issues

*** Teenage issues***

Hermione was proud of many things that she had accomplished throughout her life, but the thing she was the proudest of was the upbringing of her children. The three of them were smart for their ages, kind, responsible and good. They were a reflection of every value she and Ron had been passing to them for 16 years. She was well aware that the stages her kids were in weren't the easiest ones: Belle, their eldest, was in her teenage years, soon to become of age; Rose was 9 already, but acted as if she were older; Hugo was 7 and as mischievous as Fred and George once were. Still Hermione was sure she and Ron had done a great job with them... until one afternoon at The Burrow. She was sat at the table, just watching the children play when Bill and his family arrived. Dominique and Louis ran straight to their cousins while Victoire and Fleur were engaged in a heated argument. Bill looked extremely fed up with the whole situation. He sighed and went to the table and sat across Hermione.

"What's up with those two?" Ron asked, sitting next to his wife. Victoire shouted something like "you're such a control freak!" at her mother which startled the younger kids. Bill sighed.

"Teenagers. They think they can do whatever they want without consequences." He said. Hermione and Ron looked at each other. "Vicky has been fighting against us since she got back for the summer. I understand that this is a rebellious stage, but she's being so... uncontrollable lately." He explained.

"What are they fighting about?" Hermione asked

"Everything. Vicky's messy room, her intolerance towards her siblings. Her desk is full of parchments. Homework, you reckon? No. Love letters to her boyfriend. She hasn't cleaned the owl's cage since she arrived and she refuses to help Dominique with her homework, stating that she should learn on her own." Bill explained. Hermione and Ron just looked at him. "I know this type of behavior is normal. You have a teenager at home. You know what it's like." Bill told them. Hermione and Ron looked at each other. Truth to be told, they actually didn't know. They never had any problems with Belle. Their daughter was a teenager indeed, but she wasn't the rebellious type. They were about to say something when Molly Weasley called all the family to the table. Before they knew it, conversations changed and the issue was soon forgotten. At least, by Bill.

Ron could feel Hermione tossing and turning in bed practically since they had gone to it some hours ago. After feeling her moving again and huffing, he sighed, sat up and turned on his lamp.

"Ok, love, what is it?" he asked. Hermione sighed and rolled over, facing him.

"You think we're doing something wrong with Belle?" she asked. His eyes got bigger, kinda shocked by her question. As far as he knew, there was nothing wrong in the way they were raising their children.

"In what sense, hun?" he asked. She sat up.

"Well... when was the last time she and I had a fight?" she asked. He thought about it.

"Last... week when you two were discussing some book?" he said tentatively. Obviously, Hermione wasn't satisfied with the answer as she gave him a look.

"That wasn't a fight, Ronald! That was barely a disagreement on something. I mean, a real mother-daughter fight. Like the one Fleur and Victoire were having." she stated. He thought for a minute then shook his head.

"No. No fights that I can recall." he said.

"Exactly! She isn't rebelling against anything we say or do! I mean, we tell her to clean her room or wash the dishes and she does it... without any complaints!" she exclaimed. Ron looked at her, trying very hard to understand where the problem was. "I mean, are we raising a push over? Does she just complies to anything or anyone?" she asked. Ron couldn't help but laugh.

"Ok, I'll stop you right there, Mione. You know Belle is no push over whatsoever. She well knows how to express herself when she doesn't want to do anything or someone is doing something she doesn't like. She got it from you, babe." he said.

"Then, why isn't she rebelling?" she asked.

"Let me get this straight: It's 4:15 in the bloody morning and you're complaining about our incredibly good daughter who isn't complaining about doing house chores? I always thought you were mental, Hermione, but this one goes way over the top." he said

"She's 16 going to 17, Ron! And she's not doing or behaving like a proper teenager! What if she's missing out on things?" she asked. Ron placed his hands on her shoulders.

"The fact that she doesn't rebel against our rules doesn't mean she's not a proper teenager. She has a bloody boyfriend, for crying out loud! She talks on the fellytone with him and her friends, she wears make up and is embarrassed of my jokes whenever I tell them near her friends. She doesn't need to rebel against us because she trusts us, we trust her and we taught her well. So stop complaining about our perfectly behaved teenage daughter and go to sleep." he said, then he kissed her lips lightly, turned off the lamp and laid back down. Hermione stood there, taken aback for a minute. Then, she sighed and laid down in bed. Ron sighed as well. He knew she was still thinking about that.

"You know... it's been a week since she cleaned Ila's cage. And I'm sure I have seen her writing a lot lately, probably letters to that boyfriend of hers. Maybe you can start telling her off for that." he said, closing his eyes. Hermione kissed his cheek and went to sleep.

So the next morning after breakfast, Hermione upsed the stairs and went to her eldest daughter's room, where she found her first born scribbling on a piece of parchment real quick. When she was finished, she put the parchment in an envelope, got up and went straight to the little white owl that was perched on the window seal. "Alright, now go and deliver these letters and don't come back until you've got a response, ok?" the 16-year-old said opening the window so the bird could fly away. When she saw the little animal was out of sight, she turned around.

"Hi, mom! You need anything?" she asked walking to the owl's cage and starting to take the base out.

"I was..." Hermione started, then perked up. "I was about to remind you that you're fully responsible of your owl's care." she said firmly. Belle just looked at her as she took some dirty old newspapers and tossed them in a bag.

"I know, mom. And I know I should have cleaned her cage earlier, but I was waiting to send her out with some letters so I could clean the cage in peace. Last time I cleaned it with her in the house, my room was dirtier than her cage." Belle stated. Hermione just looked at her.

"Well... you... could have waited to write those letters until you finished your homework. I'm sure your friends can wait for a few more days without news from you." the woman said. Belle looked at her, a bit confused by her mother's behaviour.

"I know. That's why I just sent those letters. I've been working on my homework all week. Would you mind checking it? I know I used all my textbooks to do it, but I'm not sure about the Runes one. I think I translated something wrong." the teenager said as she walked past her mother holding the bag. Hermione looked at her as she downed the stairs. What was she doing? Her daughter was nothing but responsible and she was defying her by questioning her? She took the parchments from the desk and was about to abort her plan when Rose went to her.

"Mommy, can you help me? I don't understand this." the little red-haired girl asked, showing her mom a piece of paper. Hermione looked at it, trying to decipher what was written there.

"What do you have in there, Rosie Posie?" Belle asked from behind Hermione.

"Fractions. I can't seem to get them right." Rose told her sister. Belle examined her sister's homework.

"You have to multiply both fractions by the same number. Like in here." she said as she showed her little sister the example. Rose looked at it, then at her sister.

"Oh. I get it... I think." she said a bit unsure.

"How about you go back to your room and I'll meet you there as soon as I finish cleaning Ila's cage?" Belle suggested. Rose smiled and nodded, then she went back to her room. In that moment, Hugo walked in.

"What you doing?" he asked watching his eldest sister walk around the room.

"Cleaning Ila's cage." she answered

"Can I help?" he asked, hopeful.

"It's alright, Hugh. I got it." she said with a smiled

"Oh. I wanted to learn how to do it for when I'm bigger and I can clean Pig's cage." he said a bit disappointed. Belle looked at him and smiled.

"Hand me those papers, would you?" she said pointing at the pages of old _Daily Prophet_ issues that were scatered on the floor. He went to her eagerly and gave her as many as she asked, then he helped her put the base back to the cage. "Wonderful, Hugh! You were great! Now, I'll go and help Rosie." she said.

"But I'm bored!" he pouted.

"Well... how about you go to your room to build a a castle with your legos, and when I finish helping Rosie, I'll help you build a fort so the dragons won't get in?" she suggested. Hugo gave her a toothy smile and ran eagerly to his room. Hermione looked at the whole scene astonished. "You alright, mom?" Belle asked. Hermione snapped back to reality and nodded. "Yes. Yes, I'm... I'm gonna check your homework and be right back." she said. Belle nodded and left the room. Hermione went to the living room and sat next to Ron who was on the couch reading some Quidditch magazinr.

"You ok?" he asked her, concerned. She looked at him.

"She finished all her homework and already cleaned Ila's cage." she said. Ron smiled.

"That's good!" he exclaimed.

"She's willingly helping Rose with her Maths homework, and later on she will play with Hugo in his room." she continued. Ron looked at her.

"O...K... That's good, right? I mean, she's a responsible girl, and she's caring and is good to her siblings." he said. She nodded.

"I guess you were right after all. I shouldn't worry." she said.

"Please, say that again. You know... the part where I'm right?" he asked, smiling mischeviously. She rolled her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her.

"Bill called, by the way. You'll never believe what happened. Dominique heard weird noises coming from Victoire's room so she called her parents. When Bill and Fleur walked in Victoire's room, they found their daughter half-naked in bed with Teddy (also half-naked) on top of her. Bill was furious and Fleur had another fight with Victoire. Seems she'll be grounded all summer." he said.

"Wow!" Hermione just said.

"And that's not all. When Fleur asked Victoire how long they had been doing it, she answered for over a year. Bill said that Fleur was shocked that Victoire hid that from her, but then again, she's a teenager. You can't expect them to tell you all about them, can you? I mean, we're lucky Belle tells us almost everything, or at least she tells you." Ron explained. Hermione was about to say something when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Can I go to Adam's later? His parents are having a BBQ and invited me over." Belle asked. Hermione panicked. What if the BBQ was an excuse and Belle was going there to actually do what Victoire and Teddy were doing?

"No." Hermione said. Ron and Belle looked at her shocked.

"Wh-Why not?" Belle asked.

"Because... no." Hermione said.

"That's not a reason, mom. You told me that yourself! Is it because I cleaned Ila's cage later than I should have? I already told you the reason why I did it and it's already clean. I did all my house chores AND my homework. So, why can't I go?" the teenager asked. Hermione looked at her.

"Because... you'll be with Adam." she stated. Belle laughed incredously.

"Well... yeah, it's his house." she said.

"But you'll still be with Adam." Hermione stated. Belle nodded.

"And with his sister, his mother and father, Justin, Maisie, Landon, I think Scarlet, but she and Landon broke up before the term was over, so I don't think she'll go after all. Oh! And Teddy and Tory are supposed to be there too, but I don't think so." Belle explained.

"so... it's a group's BBQ" Ron said calmly. Belle nodded.

"Adam and his family are leaving for the United States in three days and they're not coming back until the last week of August, so that means we won't see each other until then. So... can I go? Please?" she asked, hoping her whole explanation would give her the chance to finally go and meet her friends.

"I'm sorry, Belle, but my decision is final. You're not going." Hermione said, getting up from the couch. Belle looked at her, shocked.

"It's not fair! I didn't do anything wrong!" she shouted, then she ran upstairs and slammed her door. Hermione sighed, upset.

"Well... you wanted it, you got it." Ron said. Hermione turned around and looked at him.

"What?" She asked confused.

"A fight with your teenage daughter." he said. She sighed and sat next to him.

"I crossed the line, didn't I?" she asked. Ron sighed.

"Pretty much." he said.

"I don't know what came over me, Ron! I just... I guess... I wanted her to react like a normal teenager." she said.

"She IS a normal teenager, Hermione! But she's also a good one, and that's because of you." he said. Hermione's eyes got big and ro und. " _You_ taught her to differenciate what's right from wrong. _You_ taught her to be responsible and kind to others and caring for everyone and everything. _You_ taught her to expose her case and give good reasons when she really wants something or she thinks something is unfair. You taught her to trust us when she's in trouble. Now, _YOU_ have to trust her." He said. Hermione, who hadn't realised she was tearing until then, wipped her eyes with her hands and nodded. "It wouldn't hurt to let her go for a few hours, you know." Ron said. "Besides, you don't want her to escape from her window like Victoire was going to." he laughed a bit. Hermione ran upstairs and knocked on her daughter's door. A muffled voice told her to go away, but Hermione refused and opened it anyway. Belle looked at her. She had a look of sadness mixed with confusion and hurt that Hermione hadn't seen before and that truly broke her heart. The young woman sighed and sat next to her daughter.

"I'm... I'm really sorry, Belle. I shouldn't have behaved like that." she started.

"What did I do wrong, mom?" the girl just asked, sniffing. Hermione smiled and put a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear.

"This time it's not you, sweetheart. It's me. I... I panicked." Hermione just said.

"Why? Because of what Tory did?" Belle asked. Apparently, she knew the whole story already.

"it's just... You're a teenager. You... you should be doing silly things and questioning my authority. I just... I don't want you to look back at these years and think that you missed out on things." Hermione explained. Belle looked at her in the eye.

"I do plenty of silly things, mom. Just the other day I put a slug in Teddy's sandwich because he hid my Aritmancy book." she said. Hermione laughed a bit. "And... I don't question your authority because you're my mom. I know that, if you say something, it's because you know best." she continued.

"Not always." Hermione corrected. Belle nodded.

"I trust you, mom. You can trust me when I say you don't have to worry about me sneaking out of the house or anything like that. It's not me. You and dad taught me better than that." Belle said. Hermione smiled and hugged her, then kissed her head.

"i still can't believe how much you've grown." she said.

"So... can I go to the BBQ?" Belle asked hopeful. Hermione sighed, smiled and nodded. Belle smiled as well and Hermione got up.

"You remember my boggart from last year?" Belle suddenly asked as Hermione was about to leave.

"Yeah. It was me and Adam." Hermione said.

"Remember why Adam?" Belle asked, fidgetting with her shirt. Hermione nodded, getting a bit concerned. "Well... we had that talk during the year and... well... it happened. We... we did it." the young girl said blushing. Hermione looked at her, shocked for a minute.

"Oh... I see. Wh-When?" she managed to ask.

"A couple of days before the term ended. After one of our prefects rounds. I just... I know I told you I would talk to you about it when it happened, but... I don't know! I guess... I guess I wanted to keep it a secret for a while." Belle said. Hermione nodded.

"Are you being...?" she started to ask before Belle nodded in agreement.

"Both ways." the girl answered.

"You... wanna talk about it?" Hermione asked. Belle shrugged her shoulders.

"It was good. And he was respectful." she just said. "Please, don't tell dad about this." she pleaded later. Hermione smiled and kissed her daughter's head.

"It'll be our secret." she said, before leaving the room. She sighed relieved. She had nothing to worry about. After all, she was proud of how her and Ron were raising their children.


	52. The 3pm meeting

*** The 3pm meeting ***

Harry rarely saw Hermione so eager to dismiss someone during Wizengamot meetings, especially when she was the one calling for them. But today she was suspiciously glancing at her watch every half hour, and Harry couldn't help but wonder why. Last time he's seen Hermione this eager, Ron was coming back from a very long mission. As the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports was talking about arrangements for the new Quidditch World Cup, three interdepartmental memos flew in the courtroom, two of them landed in front of Hermione and the other in front of the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Hermione opened one of the memos. "Your 3pm meeting is in your office" it read. Hermione grabbed her quill, scribbled something quick and threw the memo in the air. Harry thought for a minute. He remembered hearing Ethel, Hermione's assistant, say that her agenda was free from 3pm onwards, so how come she had a meeting at 3? As he saw Hermione play anxiously with her quill, it clicked on his head. How come he hadn't thought about it? It made perfect sense. Him and Ginny were going through the same. No children in the house as all of them were at Hogwarts already, so they were experiencing a sort of honeymoon phase all over again. He was sure Hermione and Ron were going through it as well. They had never been all by themselves as a couple. They got together as soon as Hermione found out she was pregnant with Belle, so they didn't know what it was like to be childless for some years. They didn't get to experience what it was like to be just the two of them. So it was understandable, Harry thought, that they wanted to rediscover their relationship. But... during office hours? He was sure that wasn't something Hermione would do.

"So... if there's nothing more to talk about, meeting dismissed." Hermione said, standing up and gathering her stuff. Everyone stood up and walked to the exit. Hermione did the same and quickened her pace. Harry followed her.

"Hermione, wait!" he called. Hermione turned her head to see him but didn't stop walking so he sped up until he was walking next to her.

"Yes, Harry?" she asked.

"I was wondering if we could talk about..." he started before she cut him in.

"Is it really important? Because I'm really in a hurry today." she said.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the Aurors budget..." he started as they walked in the lift.

"Look, Harry: we already talked about it last month and I already gave you a fair amount of galleons." she said as they reached level one. They walked out of the lift and she started walking quickly through the corridor.

"I know, but I was thinking that maybe you could..." he started as they reached her assistant's desk.

"Harry, I really have to go. So, unless you have an urgent case or a proposal for me to read, then we'll have to talk about it on Monday." she said, then turned aroud and smiled at Ethel. Harry sighed.

"Come on, Mione! I know you have free the rest of the afternoon. You're telling me Ron can't wait for a few more minutes?" he asked. Hermione turned around and looked at him, confused.

"Ron?" she asked. "What does Ron have to do with this?" she asked later.

"It's normal. I mean, kids are all gone to school. It's understandable that you guys want to... reconnect as a couple." he said, blushing a bit. He sighed. "I know he's the 3pm meeting." he said. Hermione looked at him

"Actually... he isn't." she confessed. Harry looked at her with big eyes. Could she...? No, it wasn't possible. But... really? Could she really have someone on the side?

"Then who...?" he asked, unable to continue as Hermione's door office opened and a little blonde girl ran to her with the biggest smile on her face shouting "NANA!". Hermione smiled, turned around and kneeled down to embrace the little girl in a hug.

"Hello, darling! How are you? Look how pretty you look today!" she said, kissing the little girl. Seconds later, a redhaired girl walked out of the office.

"Amelia, sweetie. We were going to... Oh! Hi mom! Hi uncle Harry!" she greeted them. Harry smiled. Hermione got up with little Amelia in her arms and walked to her eldest daughter and gave her a hug.

"How are you today, sweetheart?" she asked lovingly.

"Good. Although nauseas hit me again. I threw up in your bin, I'm so sorry. But I already cleaned it." Belle answered. "Thanks again for watching her while I go to the doctor's and then to work. I don't think I'll be out too late, but I don't think either of us will be picking her up before 6." she added. Hermione smiled.

"It's an absolute pleasure. I love spending time with her. We're gonna have so much fun, right Ami?" Hermione said looking at her granddaughter in her arms and kissing her cheek. The little girl giggled and wrapped her arms around her grandma's neck.

"She's your 3pm meeting?" Harry finally asked. Belle and Hermione startled, totally oblivious that he had been there the whole time. Hermione looked at him and nodded. "Why did you keep it a secret?" he asked confused.

"Because you know what they are like. Even though I'm the minister, they'll still talk about the fact that I took time off my day to spend it with my family and stuff, and I'm really not in the mood to hear about it, Harry. Besides, I don't need anyone's permision to fulfil my grandmother's duties." she answered. Belle kissed her daughter and gave some recommendations to her mother, then she kissed her uncle's cheek and left. Harry looked at her and he couldn't believe his eyes when he noticed a small bump protruding from her green jumper.

"Is she...?" Harry asked. Hermione sighed and nodded

"And you can't tell anyone yet." she said. Harry frowned.

"Why not?" he asked.

"She and Adam want to announce it at Christmas when all the kids are home." she explained.

"Since when do you know...?" he asked.

"A month or so. She found out when Adam proposed to her. They decided to tell everyone about the engagement but leave the pregnancy under wraps until Christmas as a kind of surprise. Besides, she wanted to be safe and sure everything was ok." she explained. Harry just nodded. "Now, if you excuse us, we're going home to change some clothes and then we have a date at the park." she said, smiling at the little girl in her arms. Harry smiled as well and looked at them as they walked out the office and to the lift, Amelia talking animously to her grandma in her nonesensical English about everything and anything. He couldn't think of a better meeting to have on a Friday afternoon.


	53. Meeting at the bookstore

*** Meeting at the bookstore ***

Hermione wasn't expecting to find HIM, of all people, at Flourish and Blotts that Saturday afternoon. She had lost contact with him over the years after the battle, and between NEWTs, work and raising a child, she didn't really find the time to sit down and write an extensive letter explaining to him everything that had happened. At first, she didn't notice him. She was so wrapped up in a book she was thinking about purchasing that she hadn't noticed when someone walked into her.  
"I'm so sorry!" They both said and she upped her gaze to see the person. She looked at him for a minute, as if she recognized him.  
"Viktor?" She asked. He smiled  
"Hermioniny. I thought it vas you!" He said. They hugged each other.  
"Erm... How are you? What are you doing here?" She asked.  
"I vas sent to talk to the Quidditch department for next vorld Cup." He said  
"You work for the Bulgarian ministry now?" She asked, impressed. He nodded.  
"Wow! That's... That's great!" She said.  
"Vhat about you? I think I heard you vere a hero now." he said. She blushed a bit.  
"I wouldn't say a hero exactly, but yeah. I helped defeat Voldemort a couple of years ago." she said.  
"And now you are... reading about Goblins and House elves laws?" he asked, turning his head to see the cover of the book she was holding. She looked at the book as well.  
"Oh. Yeah. I work for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I'm doing some research on House elves and Goblins rights at the moment." she said enthusiastically. He just nodded.  
"That's good. So... you... you vant to go grab something to eat now?" He asked. Hermione took aback. She was about to answer when they heard a crash and many books falling, followed by a few shrieks. She recognized one of them and panicked. She ran to where the noise was coming from, Viktor Krum following her. She kneeled down in front of a redhaired girl who looked at her, fearful.  
"I didn't do it." She started as Hermione held her.  
"It's alright, sweetheart. Are you alright?" She asked the little girl, pulling a strand of red hair behind her ear. The girl nodded.  
"Mommy, can we take this one home?" The girl asked, smiling as she showed her a hardcover book with pictures of Quidditch players. Viktor looked at them, shocked. Did the little girl just call her mommy?  
"Are you sure you want this one?" Hermione asked as she looked at the price of the book. The little girl nodded enthusiastically.  
"I can read it with daddy. He would love it!" the girl exclaimed. Hermione looked at her. "Can we, mommy? Please?" The girl pleaded, giving her the puppy-eyes look. God! She was so Ron's daughter! Hermione sighed and smiled.  
"Fine. We'll take it." She said as the little girl hugged her. A second later, the girl pulled away and looked at her mother, worried. "What is it? What's wrong?" Hermione asked worried. The little girl looked up to the big man standing behind her mother. Hermione turned her head around and stood up. "Oh. Yeah. Sweetheart, this is Viktor Krum, an old friend of mommy's." She said as she held her daughter's hand. Viktor and the little girl looked at each other: him with a shocked look on his face; her with a curious one. "Viktor, this is Belle, my daughter." Hermione said to the Bulgarian guy. Viktor kept looking at the little girl who gave him a little smiled.  
"A... daughter. Wow! I-I... I didn't know you vere married." he said.  
"I'm not... well, not yet. I'm engaged." She said as she played with her rose-shaped sapphire ring. His eyes got bigger than plates. He wasn't expecting this. First a child, now she was engaged?  
"Wow! Con... Congratulations!" He said, a bit of disappointment in his tone. Hermione smiled,  
"How... How old is she?" He asked.  
"She turned 3 in May." Hermione said looking at the little girl lovingly.  
"So... It vas..." He said putting two and two together.  
"The year of the Battle. Yeah. She actually was born in the middle of it. Quite convenient!" Hermione sighed, then smiled. He couldn't believe it. She was barely 20 and she was already a mother. Viktor just nodded. Hermione felt her daughter pulling her hand and she looked at her.  
"Can we go to Uncle Georgie's shop now?" the little girl asked. Hermione smiled.  
"Sure. Go take this to the cashier. I'll be there in a second." she said as she gave the girl her book. Belle took it, then she looked at Viktor and left.  
"She's lovely." he said. Hermione smiled.  
"She really is." she said proudly.  
"Do you... how do you do it?" he asked.  
"It's hard. Everybody told us - my parents mostly - that we were ruining our lives by having a child and being so young, but... we manage quite well. Ron is amazing with her! He's been incredible since we found out about her and... well, between his job and mine and everything... we make it work." she explained.  
"So... it's Veasley?" he asked, though he knew the answer. It had always been Ron for her. He noticed that. She never looked at him the way she looked at Ron. Hermione nodded.  
"Do you ever regret it? I mean, you're only 20." he asked. Hermione shook her head.  
"Not for a second. She's my whole world." she said as she saw Belle waving at her. "It was nice seeing you again, Viktor, but I have to go. Hope to catch up soon!" she said, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Viktor just nodded and she left to meet her child.  
Of all places and of all people, she had to meet him. Everyone had told her how lucky she was that he had asked her to the Yule Ball and that he was so interested in her and that she should go and be with him. But she knew it in her heart that he wasn't the one for her. She had felt flattered at the time and she had enjoyed having a foreign penpal all those years, but she knew that Viktor was just that. A friend. Because even though he still held a torch for her, she was more than sure that her heart belonged to someone else. Someone who, at this moment, was in the joke shop across the street working and counting the hours to be with her and their daughter. She walked out of the bookstore holding her daughter's hand, and when she got to the shop, she went straight to Ron and kissed him as passionate and sweet as the very first time. Because after meeting HIM today, she was more than sure who her heart really belonged to and that she had made the best choice all along.


	54. Valentine roses

*** Valentine roses ***

It started their first year at Hogwarts. A girl from Slytherin had called her mudblood, she got angry and hexed her with a Bat-Boogey hex her aunt Ginny had taught her during the summer. Headmistress McGonagall sent a letter to her parents, mostly to inform them of the incident. She wasn't that hard on the girl. She knew that particular word was a delicate subject in her family. Her mom had gotten to school in the morning to talk to her about it. They had a long conversation about what happened. Belle got out of that meeting quite upset and walked through the portrait hole to the common room where one of her best friends was eagerly waiting for her on the couch. She looked at him and he instantly knew that she had been crying all the way there.

"Was it that bad?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders.

"She wasn't mad, just disappointed on my behaviour, but she understood why I did it. She said dad did something similar when a classmate of hers called her that." she explained. He just looked at her and she sighed. He drew his wand and cast an advanced spell for their level: _orchideous_. A single red rose emerged from the tip of his wand. He grabbed it and handed it to her, gently.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Belle." he said, smiling a little. He was hoping to cheer her up a bit, let her know that he was there for her. She took the rose in her hands, smiled a bit at him and sniffed.

"Thank you, Adam. Happy Valentine's Day to you too." she said, and she kissed his cheek lightly, feeling some kind of butterflies in her tummy.

For the next 2 years, every Valentine's Day he performed the same spell and gave her a red rose as a friendly gift. In third, they spent the day in Hogsmeade. This time, he gave her the rose during lunch, and as the previous years, she kissed his cheek as a thank you. That same year, she learnt a spell to keep the flower from wilting.

Fourth year was their first as a couple, and the first thing he did when he saw her in the common room that morning was casting the spell and giving her a rose. This time, she kissed him on the lips, but she felt the same butterflies in her stomach as the first time he gave the flower to her.

Five years later, she was at work against her boyfriend's wishes. He didn't want her on her feet too much as she was eight months pregnant. That morning, she had had an argument with him about that subject. She was putting some books in a shelf and talking to her mother who had popped in to check on her and the baby when he walked in the shop. Slowly, she went to the door and stopped before him. They stared at each other for a few minutes, then he drew his wand and cast the spell again, the same one he had cast for nearly ten years on that very same days. This time, he produced two red roses and handed them to her with a timid smile. She smiled as well.

"the fact that we had an argument this morning doesn't mean I don't remember what day is today." he said. She looked at the fowers.

"Two?" she asked. His smile got bigger.

"One for each of my valentines." he said, then he leaned forward and kissed her. She kissed him back as Hermione looked at them from a distant shelf, smiling at the picture.

When Belle got home that afternoon, she put the roses in a big bouquet. It contained every rose he had given her since their first year at school.


	55. The Wedding

*** The Wedding ***

"Merlin! That was a long day!" Ron said as him and his wife got in their room of their cottage. They were back home from their eldest daughter's wedding.  
"It was a good one, wasn't it?" Hermione added. Ron nodded.  
"Still can't believe she's married already. Yesterday she was a tiny pink bundle of bushy red hair." he said.  
"Now she's a married woman with two children and a bushy red hair." she said. He sighed.  
"I think it was a lovely wedding." she said later as she got her dress off.  
"Yeah. The food was exquisite! Mom really exceeded herself this time." he said as she rolled her eyes.  
"She looked gorgeous in that white dress." she said and he nodded.  
"Like a princess. Where did she get it from? I thought she was getting an emerald dress robe." he said.  
"She was going to, but Rose suggested that she would look perfect in that dress they saw in the last scene of _Beauty and the Beast_ , you know, the white dress with the red roses in it." she said.  
"Right. She looked gorgeous indeed. Reminded me of you in your wedding gown." he said, smiling. She smiled back and blushed.  
"Adam looked so nervous, but so happy!" she said.  
"And Amelia was really cute as the flower girl, skipping as she threw the petals. A real angel in her yellow dress." he said.  
"She looks so much like Belle when she was a kid, except for the hair, of course." she said. Ron nodded. "I still can't believe what Rosie, Hugh and the other kids did in the reception." she added.  
"That was a bloody amazing performance of _Be Our Guest_. Who would have thought James could dance like that?!" he said. She smiled.  
"It certainly was entertaining, and Belle was moved. She really couldn't believe her siblings and cousins did that for her." she said.  
"And it took them, what? 3 weeks to learn the whole song and dance routine?" he asked  
"5. Rosie told me she had the idea in her head the minute Belle and Adam announced the date." she said.  
"It was truly amazing! With Albus and Scorpius doing some pirouettes, and the girls twirling around. Quite spectacular, if you ask me." he said. "I wasn't expecting to cry that much with our daughter and her husband - wow! that sounds odd! - took the floor the first time. Why did they have to choose that song of all?" he whined.  
"It's one of Belle's favourites since she was a little girl. It was kind of expected that they would choose _Beauty and The Beast_ as their first dance. And it was truly beautiful how they recreated the dance from the movie, wasn't it?" she said.  
"True. What I wasn't expecting also was for her to choose _Something There_ as father-and-daughter dance. I wasn't even expecting her to have that dance at all." he said.  
"It was so sweet when she asked you to dance to that song with her. She gave a really moving speech, saying how you were one of her first loves of her life and how much it meant to her that you were her dad. And after all, it's logical that she chose that song. I mean, we did sing it to her quite a lot when she was a baby." she said as they got in bed.  
"It really was a great speech. And that song does mean something to all of us. Speaking of speeches, Teddy's best man speech was quite hilarious. Talking about the times he knew they liked each other but didn't realize about it and how he tricked them to admit it, and that time she fell off the broom because he called Adam her boyfriend when they weren't dating." he said.  
"Poor Belle! She looked mortified! But it was a nice speech. Rosie's speech was really sweet as well. She really admires her big sister, and Belle has always been like a mentor to her." she said.  
"I'm glad our girls get along so well! Makes me proud of them. I mean, it's something Amelia and Lizzie can look up to as they grow up." he said. Hermione nodded.  
"Indeed. They're a great example of a great sister-sister relationship." she said, then sighed. "Speaking of which, we have the girls next week. Adam's parents have them tonight until Friday." she added. He nodded, then laughed. She looked at him, between amused and confused.  
"Merlin! Harry was so pissed tonight! It was so funny when he grabbed the mic and started to sing _A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love_. I wish I had one of those muggle video recorders to capture that moment and watch it over and over again... and show it to everyone we know." he said grining. She punched his shoulder. "Ouch! You have to admit, it was hilarious!" he added.  
"It truly was funny to see The Boy Who Lived singing off tune in front of everyone. And don't worry about the video. Hugo got everything with his cellphone. He's probably making copies for everyone as we speak." she said.  
"Good thing he loves muggle devices." he said. She nodded.  
"I can't remember when was the last time I danced as much as I did tonight. The band was splendid!" she said.  
"Good thing her mother is the Minister and could get her The Weird Sisters to sing at her wedding." he said kissing her cheek.  
"Well, Myron Wagtail owed me a favour for the time and I helped him in that hearing about those suspicious musical instruments." she said.  
"Our baby's married, Hermione." he said after some minutes of silence. She sighed.  
"I know. It's weird, isn't it?" she asked. He nodded. "But you know what? I'm happy for her. She found someone who understands her and loves her unconditionally and that always has her back, someone who makes her so happy. She's an incredible girl. She truly deserves it." she said.  
"She does. We raised her well. And that Adam isn't that bad, after all." he said as he wrapped his arms around his wife. Part of him was sad because his little girl was all grown up, but the other part was extremely proud of the amazing woman him and Hermione had raised and the lifetime of happiness she was going to have.


	56. Midnight duet

*** Midnight duet ***

He had been studying very hard for the past two weeks, and even though he was more than ready for it, he felt it wasn't enough. It was one of his last tests before finishing his Auror Training. So there he was, in the library of Grimmauld Place, reading over and over again his notes on parchments. Occasionally, he read a paragraph from one of the books he had opened on the desk. He was reading strategies on how to disarm the opponent when he heard a cry followed by a door opening and footsteps. He heard another door opening and the crying intensified.  
"It's alright, sweetheart. Mommy's here." he heard Hermione's tired voice say before the door was shut again and the crying was muffled for a few seconds, then he heard nothing at all.  
"She must have settled as soon as Hermione held her." he thought, going back to his reading. He kept reading for some more minutes before being interrupted again by the door opening and the sustained and loud crying of his daughter in the corridor as Hermione made soft shushing sounds trying to calm her down while she walked through it until he heard another door opening and then shutting again. And one more time, everything was silent. Now he wondered why his little girl got so quiet in the second Hermione closed the door. It wasn't like her at all. He was about to go back to reading again when he heard the door opening again, Belle still crying at the top of her lungs, and Hermione carrying her downstairs.  
"Something's very off." he thought. So he got up and went downstairs, following his daughter's crying to the kitchen. There he found a very hysterical 1-year-old Belle clutching onto her mother's arms as Hermione tried to soothe her, flicking her wand and making a baby bottle fly before her eyes.  
"Everything alright?" he asked. She startled and turned around to face him.  
"God! You scared me, Ron!" she exclaimed as she rubbed her daughter's back.  
"Sorry. it's just... I heard her crying and..." he began before she interrupted him.  
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you or anything." she said. He shook his head.  
"what's wrong with her?" he managed to ask, concerned, as their daughter kept screaming at the top of her lungs. Her little face was already so red that it matched her hair.  
"Fever. And she threw up twice in the last hour." she said. Ron sighed. "I got her potion, but I have to mix it with something, so I thought to prepare her a bottle with milk. Then, I realised she just threw up on me for the third time tonight, so probably milk is not the best thing for her stomach right now." she explained.  
"Why didn't you call me? I could have helped you!" he protested.  
"You have that big test tomorrow. You've been studying hard for it for two weeks straight and I know you're worried about it. Besides, I didn't want to bother you with something I can manage." she said. But it was clear she was barely hanging in there. He sighed and got closer to them, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.  
"Her health and yours are more important to me than any test, alright?" he said. She gave him a little smile and nodded as Belle gave a very loud screech. He quickly grabbed the bottle and filled it with fresh water, then he added a few drops of the potion that Hermione had brought downstairs and mixed it before putting the teat on it. He then gave it to Hermione who unsuccessfully tried to give the poor sick child in her arms. She sighed and gave the bottle back to Ron. Belle rested her head on her mother's shoulder as she cried.

 _There's something sweet, and almost kind_  
 _But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined_  
 _And now he's dear, and so unsure_  
 _I wonder why I didn't see it there before._

He heard Hermione's voice singing softly to the baby as she rubbed the little girl's back. He noticed the crying was starting to subside and as his girlfriend was about to open her mouth, he carried on with the song.

 _She glanced this way, I thought I saw_  
 _And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw_  
 _No, it can't be, I'll just ignore_  
 _But then, she's never looked at me that way before._

Hermione looked at him with a smile on her face, kinda surprised. She's never heard him singing before. He looked at her and smiled, and she carried on singing.

 _New, and a bit alarming_  
 _Who'd have ever thought that this could be?_  
 _True, that he's no Prince Charming_  
 _But there's something in him that I simply didn't see._

As she did, he carefully placed the tip of the bottle on the baby's mouth. Belle was getting quiet and she slowly opened her mouth to let the teat slip in it and suckle. Hermione and Ron looked at each other and smiled at their small victory.

 _Well, who'd have thought?_  
 _Well, bless my soul!_  
 _Well, who'd have known?_  
 _Well, who indeed? And who'd have guessed_  
 _They'd come together on their own?_  
 _It's so peculiar! Wait and see!_  
 _We'll wait and see, a few days more_  
 _There may be something there that wasn't there before._

They both finished the last part of the song as they noticed Belle's eyes slowly closing and her slow breathing telling them that she was back asleep. Ron placed the bottle on the table and felt the baby's forehead.  
"it downed a bit." he said. Hermione sighed, relieved.  
"I'll take her back to bed then." she said. They both went upstairs to their room and laid on the bed, little Belle laying in the middle of it.  
"I didn't know you knew all the words to the song." she whispered to him. He smiled.  
"You sang it so many times I practically know it by heart already." he said. She smiled back. "it's a nice song. Reminds me of us." he added. She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips.  
"I wouldn't mind having another duet with you anytime soon." she said after pulling away from him. He smiled and looked at the baby next to him. Now that his baby was finally better and peacefully asleep, he felt more than ready for anything.

* * *

 _Just wanted to drop a big THANK YOU to everyone who reads and favourites the story. Any comments, suggestions... are more than welcomed!_


	57. On Gnomes and Tantrums

*** On Gnomes and Tantrums ***

She was usually a very sweet and calm child, but lately Ron noticed that she wasn't that way anymore. She was moody and had several tantrums a day. Hermione had explained to him that Belle was going through the Terrible Two's stage: she was surely growing up and learning more skills, she wanted to do more things by herself (like eating and getting dressed) but she was also easily frustrated when things didn't go her way or she couldn't express herself properly. That's when she had one of her infamous tantrums, usually calmed down by Hermione in a matter of minutes. But that wasn't the case that Sunday afternoon. They were at the usual brunch at The Burrow. Ginny had finally gotten time off from her training with the Holyhead Harpies and was joining them. Unfortunately, not everyone was there that day. Charlie was still in Romania as he had received a new dragon in the reserve, and Bill and his family were in France visiting Fleur's parents, while Teddy Lupin stayed home with his grandma due to a fever. So Hermione and Ron's daughter was the only child in the family reunion that day. They were all in the living room talking when 2-year-old Belle toddled her way to her mother and pulled her skirt. Hermione looked at her and smiled.  
"Yes, sweetheart?" She asked  
"Out, mommy." Belle asked with a toothy grin on her face. Hermione kneeled down to her and shook her head.  
"Not today, baby. It's raining outside." She explained. Belle frowned.  
"Out! Want momes!" Belle pouted, raising her voice. Hermione sighed. She didn't like where things were going.  
"What the heck are momes?" Ginny asked Harry as he shrugged.  
"Gnomes. She has a fascination for those bloody creatures. She's always trying to follow them around." Ron explained. Ginny nodded as Belle glanced at Hermione, who could clearly see a tantrum coming up.  
"Momes! Want momes!" The toddler shouted.  
"Belle, shouting is not a nice way to talk to someone." Hermione calmly but firmly said. But, Belle wouldn't have it. She kept shouting that she wanted to see the gnomes, and at her mother's negative answer, she threw herself to the floor and cried hysterically. Hermione just let out a loud sigh and looked at the ceiling, trying to count to ten and remain as calm as possible.  
"What happened to my sweet niece? She wasn't like that when I left. And why isn't Hermione calming her down?" Ginny asked shocked as she contemplated the scene before her.  
"Terrible twos. It'll end in a few minutes. And... We're letting her get it out of her system and slowly calm herself down without any interventions." Hermione explained as she reached out to the little girl on the floor. She picked Belle up and held her. Belle kept whimpering in her mother's arms.  
"Momes!" She demanded but Hermione was adamant.  
"Not today, sweetheart." Hermione just replied.  
"Why?" Belle inquired this time, arms crossed across her chest. Hermione got up and took the girl to the kitchen. She made her look out the window.  
"See? It's raining a lot, hun. Gnomes won't go out in the rain." She explained. Belle just looked at the window, then at her and hiccupped.  
"No momes?" she asked, a bit disappointed. Hermione shook her head and kissed her daughter's cheek.  
"No gnomes. But how about we show aunt Ginny your new toy?" Hermione said, trying to sound excited as she turned around to face her red-haired soon-to-be sister-in-law.  
"You got a new toy?" Ginny asked with as much enthusiasm as she could pretend. Belle nodded.  
"Piggy." she said, smiling a bit. Hermione put Belle on the floor, and took a stuffed pink pig out of her bag and handed it to the little girl. Belle took it to her aunt, all smiley.  
"Wow! So pretty!" Ginny exclaimed, and then she turned to Hermione. "Just like that?" she asked, referring to the end of the tantrum. Hermione just nodded.  
Percy and his new girlfriend, Audrey, arrived shortly after that. They were all very eager to meet her as Percy had talked a lot about her during family meals. It was in that moment when Hermione excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving Belle in the living room with the rest of the family. Everybody was focusing on Audrey, so Belle went to the kitchen and went to the door that lead to the garden.  
"Ok, everyone. Time to eat." Mrs. Weasley announced as she laid the food on the table a few minutes later. Hermione was downing the stairs and Ron was talking animatedly with Harry and George.  
"Ron, can you get Belle?" she asked him as she rummaged in her bag for a few things. He turned around to see her.  
"Isn't she with you?" he asked confused. She looked at him, frowning in confusion.  
"No. I told you I was going to the bathroom and that she was staying with you in the living room." she replied.  
"Well, she's not with me. Maybe she's with Ginny upstairs." he said as they went to his sister's room. Ginny was there with Angelina and Audrey showing them her new Quidditch kit when Ron opened the door.  
"Don't you knock, git? What if I wasn't decent?" the red-haired girl asked, annoyed.  
"Is Belle here with you?" he asked, not even listening to what she had said.  
"No. why?" at this response, Hermione panicked. Where could her little girl be? They searched around the house, calling her name in case the little girl was hiding for fun, but they got no response. By now, Hermione was hysterical. Her breathing was heavy and eyes welled up with tears. Where was Belle? She went to the kitchen for some water and noticed the back door opened.  
"Who left the door open?" she asked, running to it. Outside it was raining cat and dogs. "Who left it open?" she asked again, raising her voice. Everybody looked at each other.  
"What do you mean, dear? I personally closed it this morning. I made sure it was locked and everything." Mrs. Weasley said. Hermione's heart started to beat faster than ever. She got out and ran, calling for her daughter. Ron followed her. They found the girl near the gnome's hole next to the lake. Hermione just kneeled down and scooped the little girl in her arms, holding her tight and crying in relief.  
"What were you thinking going out like that?! You scared daddy and I to death! You could have been hurt! Do you realize about that?!" she shouted to a frightful and soaking wet Belle. The little girl just looked at her mother but didn't say anything. Instead, she started to cry as Ron got to them. He wrapped his arms around them and guided them back to the house. As soon as they were in, Ron took the baby in his arms and Ginny took Hermione to her room.  
"Mommy no love me." Belle said as Ron took her wet clothes off. They were in his old bedroom. He was more than happy that his little girl was safe and sound, but he couldn't help but feeling upset and a bit guilty.  
"Don't be silly! Mommy loves you a lot." he said as she shook her head vigorously.  
"Mommy yelled. Mommy angwy" she said, upset, as her father dried her with a towel. Ron just looked at her and sighed.  
"Mommy's not angry, princess. She's just... she was very scared." he said.  
"Scawed?" Belle asked. Ron nodded, getting her dressed in clean and dry clothes.  
"Daddy was scared too. We didn't know where you were, and that made us feel very sad." he said.  
"Mommy and daddy sad?" she asked. Ron nodded. Belle looked down and cried. Ron held her as he grabbed his wand and transfigured a ball into a stool. When Belle was a bit calmed, he sat her there.  
"It was very bad of you to go out alone. Mommy and daddy were very worried and scared and you could have been hurt." he explained.  
"Huwt? owy?" she asked. Ron nodded.  
"Yes. You could have had a very bad owy and mommy and daddy weren't there with you. So now, you are going to sit here for a few minutes and think about it, ok?" he said. It was usually Hermione who disciplined Belle when she was out of line, but he knew his fiancée was in no state to do it at the moment. Belle didn't complain this time. She realized something was bad because mommy and daddy weren't happy, so instead of throwing a tantrum, she just sat down and looked down to her feet. Ron sighed and put the wet clothes in a bag. He heard the door opening to discover Hermione. He looked at her and she nodded at their daughter sitting in the corner of the room.  
"She's very upset about what happened. She knows she shouldn't have done it, so I told her she would sit there for a few minutes to think about it." he explained. Hermione nodded and went to Belle and sat next to her. Belle turned her head to her.  
"Mommy angwy?" she asked. Hermione looked at her and sighed.  
"No, mommy's not angry. But she's very sad because of what you did." she explained her daughter. Belle looked down and Hermione could notice she was tearing. She picked her up and sat her on her lap.  
"Mommy no love me." Belle cried. Hermione held her tight.  
"My sweet girl! I do love you. I love you so much! That's why I was very sad and very worried when I didn't see you in the house." she explained. Belle looked up to her and sniffed. "I don't want you to ever go outside without mommy or daddy or granny or grandpa or any of your uncles and aunts, ok? If you want to go outside, you have to go with one of us, understood?" she asked. Belle nodded and snuggled closer to her. Hermione kissed her head lovingly. "Sweetie, how did you open the door?" she asked a while later. Belle looked up and smiled.  
"Alo mowa!" she said proudly. Ron sighed.  
"Great! She said a bloody spell!" he said. Hermione laughed a bit. "I guess we'll have to reinforce the locking charms in the house." he sighed. Hermione just nodded and looked at Belle. She was back to being her sweet and calm self, though Hermione knew there were going to be more tantrums, more defiance and probably more adventures for Belle in the years to come. She knew her daughter was determined and stubborn when she wanted to get her way, and she was sure she was going to be highly opinionated as she grew up. But as long as she didn't get in trouble or danger as that day, she was going to be just fine.


	58. Kicking memories

*** Kicking memories ***

It was always nice to spend time with her children, even more now that they were growing up. She already missed Rose, but she knew her little girl was more than OK at Hogwarts learning everything she could and more. Hugo was still at Muggle School, so she had a few more hours before picking him up. She was sat at a table of the Leaky Cauldron and peering at the menu when a young red-haired girl approached her, one hand on her protruding baby bump; the other was holding a bag.  
"I'm so sorry I'm late, mom. I didn't want to leave the shop unattended and..." the young girl said as Hermione made a hand gesture, dismissing the excuse.  
"It's alright, sweetheart. I haven't been here that long. How are you feeling?" Hermione asked as her daughter sat on a chair in front of her.  
"Ok, I guess. I'm not that nauseous anymore, which is quite good as I was getting bored of seeing the toilet first thing in the morning.," she said. Hermione nodded as Belle reached out for the menu. She was telling her mom about her day so far when she stopped mid-sentence and ran a hand through her stomach. Hermione looked at her, worried. Belle looked back.  
"Something... Mom, I think I felt something.," she said. Hermione immediately placed her hand on her daughter's belly, and seconds later, she looked at her girl with a broad smile on her face and tears threatening to come down. Belle looked back and smiled too. "It's... it's so weird! It's never done this before!" she exclaimed.  
"It's something special, isn't it?" Hermione asked, sniffing. Belle nodded. Hermione looked at her daughter's belly, mesmerised. It reminded her of the very first time she felt those kicking for herself:

 _*Flashback*_  
 _"I can't believe you're actually on board with this! It's extremely dangerous!" she shouted at Ron. Harry had suggested they should go to Godric's Hollow and Ron had agreed with it, stating it was a good place to go. However, Hermione thought otherwise._  
 _"How could it be dangerous, Hermione? It's a village! It's full of people!" Ron shouted. After seeing his best friends disagreeing on the subject, Harry had opted for taking an early shift outside the tent._  
 _"Doesn't make it less dangerous. Do you realise that is the first place Voldemort's going to check?" she exclaimed. Ron sighed. "Death Eaters could be hiding there, Ronald. We could be killed!" she shouted later._  
 _"Or... we could find one of those horcruxes. Who knows? We won't know until we go!" he exclaimed. She was about to say something when she suddenly felt strange in her stomach. She put a hand on top of it and just breathed. There it was again. A thud in the middle of it. It was harder, which made it quite clear to her what was actually going on. Ron looked at her. He was starting to worry at her lack of response._  
 _"Hermione? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, walking to her. But she didn't say anything. She shook her head, tears running down her cheeks. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. He looked at her, his eyes big and round as ping-pong balls. She looked back and smiled. He smiled back, leaned forward and kissed her passionately on the lips. She kissed him back with as much passion as his, but pulled away soon as she felt it again. There was no doubt about it. Ron looked at her belly mesmerised and soon they were both laughing and crying of joy._  
 _"What is it? Are you alright?" Harry asked, walking in the tent._  
 _"Everything's fine, Harry." she reassured him. Ron turned his head to his friend, big grin on his face._  
 _"It's kicking! Harry, it's kicking!" he exclaimed. Harry just looked at them. "You have to feel it! It's amazing!" Ron added as he went and grabbed Harry's hand. He placed it on his girlfriend's belly. Harry couldn't believe how something so amazing was happening inside his female best friend. He started to smile._  
 _"Does it... does it hurt you?" he managed to ask. She shook her head, brushing her tears with her hands. The three of them stood there feeling that new life moving around in its mother's womb._  
 _*End of flashback*_

"Adam will be so happy when I tell him about this. Although, he will also be a bit disappointed because he wasn't here first." Hermione heard Belle say as she was brought back to reality. A waiter approached them, ready to take their order. Belle looked up at her mother and smiled. "What is it?" she asked. Hermione shook her head, smiling, and kissed her daughter's temple.  
"I'm so, so happy for you, my Belle. So happy." she said. And she really was. She hadn't seen her little girl that happy in a very long time, and experiencing that milestone in her life made her chest swell with pride.


	59. Babysitting

*** Babysitting ***

"Of all the things, Rose!" Hugo complained as both teenagers sat on the couch of their living room.  
"Come on! It's not that bad." Rose said in her defence.  
"Not that bad?! We don't know half of it." The 13-year-old boy shouted. Rose rolled her eyes at her brother's melodramatic reaction.  
"We're doing something good for someone we love." The 16-year-old girl said. Hugo sighed as their mother walked in dressed in her best navy blue dress robe. She and Ron were going to a gala at the Ministry.  
"What's wrong?" She asked.  
"Rose offered us to babysit Belle's daughters tonight." The boy explained. Hermione looked at him, then at Rose. The girl looked back.  
"She and Adam haven't gone out together since the baby was born and that was 8 months ago. I thought it would be nice for them to enjoy a child-free dinner and for us to spend time with our nieces." She explained. "Besides, Belle has done so much for us since we were little, it's the least we can do." She added. Hermione just smiled.  
"It's very nice of you, Rosie. I'm sure your sister appreciates it very much." She said as Rose smiled.  
"What does her sister appreciate?" Ron asked as he downed the stairs in his black dress robes.  
"They're babysitting Belle's daughters tonight." Hermione explained as she grabbed her beanbag and cloak.  
"Good luck!" He exclaimed, grabbing his own cloak and walking to the fireplace. Hermione sighed and smacked his shoulder. He gave her a look.  
"You're going to be just fine. Just follow every direction and rule Belle gives you and have fun. Call if something happens." She said, kissing her children then walking in the fireplace. A minute later, green flames engulfed her and she was gone. Ron gave them a sympathetic smile.  
"Don't set the house on fire. See ya, kids!" He greeted as he walked in the fireplace, then he was gone. Rose and Hugo exchanged looks.  
"I don't like this idea." He said as Belle and Adam arrived shortly with their 3-year-old daughter, Amelia, and their 8-months-old one, Lizzie. As soon as they got there, Amelia ran to her aunt and held onto her legs.  
"Thank you so much for doing this." Adam said. Rose smiled.  
"It's not a problem at all." She said as her brother rolled his eyes.  
"So... What time are you coming back?" Hugo asked as Belle gave Lizzie to Rose and the kids' bag to him. Rose gave him a nasty look and elbowed him in the ribs.  
"We won't be here too late. Probably at 12." Belle said.  
"Just go and enjoy your night. You deserve it! We'll take care of everything, you'll see." Rose said. Belle sighed and nodded. She then explained the kids routine and rules in detail, and after Adam's insistence, they finally left.  
"Now what?" Hugo asked Rose. She looked back. The first hour passed by without any inconveniences. Amelia was a very active girl. She made them play tea party, dolls, hide and seek and made a fort out of chairs and bedsheets. At dinner time, the first problems arose. First, Amelia complained because she wanted the pink sippy cup, not the blue one. Then, that her chicken nuggets were too hot, and then that they were too cold. Finally, Rose convinced her to eat a few pieces together. Lizzie, on the other hand, made a complete mess of herself when Hugo tried to feed her with some mashed vegetables. He also ended up covered in the green grummy mashed. But the worst came later. They had decided to sleep in the fort that night, so as Rose and Hugo were getting the girls ready to bed, Amelia asked them about her parents. At the hearing of those two words, Lizzie perked up and looked around as if expecting her mom or dad to show up any minute now. But they never came, and that upset her. So, she did was she did best when she was upset: she cried. Rose and Hugo turned immediately to her. First, Rose picked her up and held her as she rocked the little girl back and forth, speaking softly to her. But it didn't work. Then, Hugo started to make funny faces at her, trying to distract her. But that didn't work either. Lizzie cried louder and louder by the minute, to the point that some of her toys started to fly around in fast circles, creating a small tornado.  
"Rose, stop it!" Hugo shouted at his sister.  
"I'm not doing anything. My wand is..." Rose said as she watched books and her own wand joining the spiralling toys. By now, Amelia had hid inside the fort and Lizzie was crying hysterically to the point that a cloud appeared on top of all of them and raindrops started to fall down furiously.  
"I'm calling for backups!" Hugo shouted, trying to cover himself from the rain with his hands. He grabbed the floo powder and threw it in the fireplace. A few minutes later, Albus, Lily and Scorpius appeared in the living room and had to kneeled down to the floor as some books flew in their direction and nearly hit them.  
"What's going on?" Lily asked, trying to cover her head with her hands.  
"We can't calm Lizzie down and now we have a damn storm inside the living room. Mom is certainly gonna kill us!" Hugo said. As they were trying to distract Lizzie and calm her down, two figures appeared in the living room.  
"What the bloody hell is going... ouch!" Ron shouted as a book hit him on the head. Hermione grabbed her wand and casted a spell. Seconds later, everything stopped moving around and just stayed still in the air. She casted another spell and the storm ceased. However, Lizzie kept crying at the top of her lungs. Hermione went to Rose, took the baby from her and started singing to her softly as she rocked her in her arms and slowly rubbed her back. Rose and Hugo looked at their mom in shock. They recognised the song, though. It was _Something There_ , Belle's favourite from the movie _Beauty and the Beast_. Slowly, little Lizzie was calmed down and was resting her head on her grandma's shoulder. Everyone just looked at Hermione.  
"How... how did you know...?" Rose asked.  
"Belle was the same when she was little. I used to sing that song to her and it settled her right away. I tried it with you two but it never worked. So I figured I could try it with Lizzie." Hermione explained, kissing the baby's head. Lizzie made a cooing noise and snuggled closer to her, wrapping her little arms around Hermione's neck.  
"Mommy sings song to Lizzie all time. Lizzie luvs it!" Amelia said, giggling and crawling out of the fort.  
"Why didn't you say it before?" Hugo asked her. Amelia just shrugged her shoulders, smiling at him.  
"Care to explain why the bloody hell was there a storm in our living room? And why do we have more kids here than when we left?" Ron asked.  
"We just... wait! What are you two doing here so early? Thought your galas lasted until late at night." Hugo asked, squinting his eyes at his parents. Hermione sighed.  
"We decided to come here earlier." she said.  
"You don't trust us with the girls?" Rose asked incredulously.  
"No! It's not that, sweetheart. It's just... I actually didn't want to be there in the first place. Didn't feel like it this time. But... I'm the minister, so I have to be there." Hermione started.  
"I'm usually the one who hates these things, but when I saw that your mother wasn't up to it either this time, we came up with a little plan and left earlier." Ron explained. "Now, back to my original question." he said.  
"So... if you're home early that means..." Lily said, then she looked at Albus. He looked back and nodded. If their aunt and uncle were back so early, then probably their parents were back early too.  
"We have to go. See ya!" he said, going to the fireplace, then disappearing into it. Lily followed him, then Scorpius, who looked at Rose and gave her a little smile. She smiled back, then looked at her niece and he left. Ron and Hermione looked at their children, expectant. Hugo sighed.  
"They were here as backup." he started.  
"We were putting the girls back down to sleep, Amelia asked for Belle and when Lizzie heard her and realized that her mommy wasn't around, she started to cry really bad." Rose continued.  
"We tried to read to her, to talk to her, to make funny faces, but nothing. She kept crying." Hugo said.  
"Was a bloody book hurricane and a storm one of your ways to calm her down as well?" Ron asked as Hermione smacked his arm.  
"Actually... that wasn't Hugh nor me." Rose said, looking down. Ron and Hermione looked at Amelia with big eyes. She looked back and smiled.  
Just then, Belle and Adam arrived. They looked around, confused and worried.  
"What happened here?" Belle asked as Amelia ran to her and held her happily. At the sound of her mother's voice, Lizzie perked up and turned her head to her, reaching out her little hands to her. Adam went and took her from Hermione.  
"Well, you'd be glad to hear that one of your daughter's has her spot secure at Hogwarts." Hugo announced. Belle and Adam looked at him, shocked, as Hermione and Ron looked at Amelia.  
"Lizzie made books fly, mommy! and rain too!" the 3-year-old said.  
"Lizzie? But... she's only some months. It's..." Adam started.  
"Not that impossible. Belle here showed her first signs of accidental magic when she was only three months old." Ron said, proudly, smiling at his eldest daughter. Adam looked at his fiancée, surprised.  
"It's rare, but not that uncommon." Hermione explained.  
Belle took the little girl from her fiancé's arms and kissed her. Rose and Hugo explained everything that happened that night.  
"Thanks again for watching them, guys." Belle said.  
"Now it's time to go back to our children-ruled life." Adam said.  
"No! I wanna sleep in fort with auntie Rosie, please?" Amelia begged her parents. Rose and Hugo looked at each other.  
"I'm really glad you had a good time with your uncle and auntie, sweetheart, but..." Belle started before Rose stepped forward and cut her in.  
"Give a nighty night kiss to mommy and daddy, Ami. And how about you help me get my pillow and PJs?" she told the little girl as she took her hand. Hugo stepped in as well and took baby Lizzie from his sister.  
"You never really specified whether you were getting them at midnight today or midday tomorrow." he said as he walked upstairs with the little girl.  
"Bye, mommy. Bye, daddy." Amelia greeted them before her and Rose followed Hugo up the stairs. Adam and Belle looked at each other, then at her parents.  
"You don't mind?" Belle asked, fretting a bit. Hermione smiled at them.  
"Go. Enjoy your night. You deserve it." she said. Adam and Belle smiled and disapparated. Ron sighed.  
"Remember when we used to leave the kids at mom and dad's and we had the night for us? Just you, me and 0 clothes." he said with a mischievous smiled. Hermione giggled.  
"I bet your daughter is thinking about the exact same thing." she said. Ron's face turned from a happy one to an upset one. "Well, how do you think your granddaughters came to this world, Ronald? by magic?" she asked, playfully. Ron just sighed and shook his head. She went and wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him sweetly on the lips. Rose and Hugo went back downstairs, each of them holding one of the girls. They kissed Hermione and Ron good-night, then got in the fort. Hugo looked at his nieces as they snuggled close to him and his sister. Babysitting wasn't that bad after all.


	60. Nightly company

*** Nightly company ***

Molly Weasley wasn't expecting to find anyone downstairs. She was expecting to find a dark, quiet kitchen in which she would get a nice cup of chamomile tea. Instead, she found an 18-year-old girl moving back and forth as she rocked a small bundle in her arms and sang to it softly. It was a melody Molly couldn't recognize, but still, she thought it was one of the most wonderful sounds she had heard in a long time. The girl finished the song in a hush voice, and only thing that was heard was the soft breathing of the little bundle in her arms.  
"That was beautiful!" Molly exclaimed. The girl startled and turned her head around to face the matriarch of the Weasley family.  
"Mrs. Weasley, I'm so sorry. Did we wake you?" Hermione asked. Her hair was tied in a messy ponytail and she looked tired. Molly smiled and shook her head as she went to her.  
"I was already awake, honey." she answered. "I didn't know you could sing." she exclaimed. Hermione blushed, smiled a bit and shrugged her shoulders. "What is that song?" Molly asked later.  
"It's called _'Beauty and the Beast'_. It's from a muggle movie of the same name." Hermione explained, then she sighed as she saw Mrs. Weasley's confused expression in her face. "Movies are like moving pictures in a sequence, like they're telling a story. They have sounds too. This movies has cartoons AND songs. It's from where we chose Belle's name." she kept explaining. Molly just nodded. "I started singing those songs to her when I was pregnant. Some of the songs calmed her down - like this one -; some other made her move a lot. Sometimes it felt like she was dancing." Hermione continued with a little smile as she looked at the asleep infant in her arms. Molly smiled as well.  
"It was really beautiful." she said. "What are you doing up?" she asked later. Hermione sighed.  
"I couldn't sleep, and Belle was getting restless and it was nearly her feeding time. Ron's sound asleep and I didn't want to wake him, so I thought to come here with her and have some tea. Maybe it'll calm both of us down a bit." the girl explained. Molly was well aware that Hermione frequently had nightmares about the war and that they kept her up more times than little Belle did. She also knew that something else was bothering the 18-year-old young mother. She and Ron had come back from their trip to Australia a few days before, and Molly was more than sure that Hermione wasn't her usual herself now. For a start, she was sadder than when she left, and she didn't want to speak about what had happened to her parents. When anybody asked, she just replied that they had decided to stay in Australia, but never explained how everything went. It wasn't until that morning when Molly found out about what really happened. It was Ron who had approached her and talked to her about his deeply concern for Hermione. He had told her everything that had happened, from the day they arrived to the country to Hermione's meeting with her parents and the outcome of it. He knew it would take her a long while to accept the situation and move on, but he felt helpless and he really wanted to be there for her and make her feel better. Molly knew her son was head over heels in love with this girl and with the little life that they had created, and she wanted to help them as much as she could.  
"You know, you can always count on us when you feel upset, don't you?" the matriarch asked. Hermione just looked down to her daughter in her arms. "It's not your fault what happened. And maybe, someday they'll come around and realize the mistake they made by letting you guys go. But you have to know that we all love you both and that we'll always have your back." she explained. When Hermione looked at her, Molly noticed she was crying. "Don't get mad at Ron, dear. He's just very worried about you and wants to help you in any way he can. He really loves you." she added. Hermione just nodded.  
"Do you think we made a mistake too?" she asked, sniffing. Molly smiled a bit.  
"I was a bit older than you when I was pregnant with Bill, so I can't really judge you, sweetheart." she said.  
"But... you're a mother. Do you honestly think we made a mistake? That we're... ruining our lives?" Hermione asked. She looked at Molly with so much fear and sorrow that it broke the woman's heart.  
"As a mother, all you want is for your children to be happy and healthy and to have the best the world can offer. I would have loved for you guys to experience this later in life. When you both had been graduated and had a home and a stable job, maybe even be married. And yes, I think you were irresponsible... but never that you made a mistake, Hermione." she said. Hermione just nodded. "Do YOU think you made a mistake?" the woman asked. Hermione sighed and looked at the baby in her arms, this time with a look full of love that Molly had only seen in herself or Arthur when they looked at their children.  
"I do know that we both were very irresponsible that night... and the others after that. But... I don't regret it. I don't regret a single bit of it. If I HAD been responsible enough, then she wouldn't be here at all, and... I can't imagine that. Not now, anyway." Hermione started. Little Belle stirred in her sleep, making a cooing noise that made Hermione smile with pride. "I made so many mistakes in my life, but she's definitely NOT one of them. Everyone would think and even say that my greatest accomplishments were my top grades at school or even helping Harry defeat Voldemort, but that's not actually true. The best thing I've ever done in my life is her... well, being with Ron as well. But creating her, being her mom... it's better than any Exceed Expectations or any award or greatest job I could ever get." Hermione continued as she kissed the little girl's forehead. Molly smiled as a tear fell down her cheek. "I better take her upstairs and get some sleep while she's still sleeping." Hermione said as she headed to the door.  
"Everybody makes mistakes. Even you, Hermione. But this time... this time you can definitely be sure that you didn't. You made something better. You loved someone who loves you as much as you do, and you both created something so wonderful! If there is love in between, Hermione, it's never a mistake." she said. Hermione looked at her and smiled.  
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. Good night!" she greeted, then she left the kitchen. Molly could hear her son's footsteps, his concerned voice when he talked, and his girlfriend's soft one telling him that everything was ok, and she smiled. Yes. Molly wasn't expecting company that night. But she was very happy of the one she had that night.


	61. Birthday Tradition

*** Birthday tradition ***

 _1998_  
It started the year of the battle. It was one of the first days that she had slept until late, but mostly because it was a Saturday and Ron had told her he would take care of their 4-month-old daughter. They had recently started to feed her with baby bottles so Hermione could have more rest and he could have more bonding time with his child, so she wasn't that worried about her child starving if she didn't get out of bed quick. They had also just moved in to N°12 Grimmauld Place, so they were all getting used to this new lifestyle. She tossed and turned in bed for a good ten minutes before finally deciding to sit down and huff. She was about to get out of bed when the door opened and a certain redhaired man walked in the room holding their redhaired baby and levitating a tray that he carefully placed on the bed next to his girlfriend. He walked to her with a big smile on his face and then kissed her on the lips.  
"Happy birthday, love!" he exclaimed, sitting on his side of the bed and adjusting the little baby on his lap. Hermione smiled and blushed.  
"You didn't have to do this. It's just an ordinary day." she said. She wasn't really a person who liked celebrating her birthday. She never wanted to make a big deal of it. However, Ron didn't agree with it.  
"Ordinary day my ar- I mean, my stars, Hermione! This is the day you came into this world and I want to celebrate it! So, we'll start with breakfast!" he said as he looked at the tray. He had brought a cup of hot tea with cinnamon, a little vase with two roses in it, pumpkin juice, and strawberry pancakes. Hermione took a deep breathe, inhaling that sweet smell. Little Belle looked at her from her father's lap and giggled. Hermione couldn't help but smile at her little girl. "I know it's not much, but... I wanted to make something special for you. And I know how much you love strawberry pancakes, so..." Ron started.  
"It's perfect. Thank you." she said. She kissed him, then kissed her daughter. It was her first birthday with Ron at her side and their daughter in their lives.

As years went by, Ron kept doing the same for Hermione's birthday: he would get up very early, go to the kitchen and make strawberry pancakes with the kids, and then surprise Hermione in bed with them. As usual, they would have breakfast all together and open presents. For Hermione, it was the best part of her day.

 _2009_  
It was early morning that Saturday of September when Hermione woke up to an empty bed. She knew what that meant: Ron was downstairs with the kids preparing her birthday breakfast. For some reason, this time she felt less enthusiastic about it. Perhaps because it was the first time that her eldest daughter wasn't there to celebrate it. Belle had just started her first year at Hogwarts, so Hermione knew she would probably get her birthday greetings later from her. As she sat up and waited for her family, she heard a tap on the window. She quickly got up and went to open it. A tawny owl flew in carrying a small package. Hermione gently took it from the bird and saw an envelope attached to it. She took it and read the note inside:  
 _"Happy birthday, mom! Hope you're having an amazing day! I wish I could be there to have our traditional birthday breakfast, so... here's a little piece from me. Hope it still tastes good! I placed a charm on it so it wouldn't get ruined on the journey._  
 _I really miss you and I love you loads!_  
 _Belle."_  
Hermione left the note aside as she wiped some tears away and opened the package. There, on a plate, were strawberry pancakes, smelling deliciously sweet. Hermione smiled as she heard Ron and the kids walking in the room. There was one Granger-Weasley less in that room, but she had made herself present in keeping the tradition somehow.

 _2017_  
That Tuesday of September woke Hermione and Ron with a loud sound from the kitchen. Ron quickly kissed Hermione and got up.  
"Happy birthday, love!" he exclaimed. Hermione smiled and nodded as they heard more noise. "Don't worry. I'll go make sure they don't make a mess." he said. He kissed her again, then went downstairs. He was shocked when he found his 18-year-old daughter standing in the middle of the kitchen as a bowl of strawberries and a package of flour flew to the counter.  
"Belle? What are you doing here?" he asked as he went to her.  
"It's mom's birthday, isn't it? I'm here to keep our tradition and make strawberry pancakes for her." she answered in her matter-of-factly tone as Rose and Hugo joined them.  
Hermione was ecstatic when she saw Ron and her three children walking in the room with their traditional birthday strawberry pancakes. She took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet aroma of the pancakes as it took her back to the very first one. The start of their sweet birthday family tradition. Hermione just smiled. After all, birthdays weren't that bad to celebrate if you were surrounded by the people you love.


	62. Not from a book

*** Not from a book ***

It was the first time in all her life that she didn't rely entirely on books. For some reason, she didn't feel like she needed one in that moment. And honestly, she hadn't had the time to actually get one while they were on the run. Of course, books had saved her life and her friends' lives multiple times, and she was always the one who would go to the library and grab a whole bookshelf of a certain subject to be prepared. But yet, this time was different. They had given her little hope that things were going to improve, so she didn't bother to go and read. However, she decided to rely on pure instinct when she realized that what she was doing was actually working, and when she was in doubt, she asked a healer or a nurse or even Mrs. Weasley. She couldn't explain it, but as soon as she heard the cry, she knew exactly what to do.

It was four years later in a summer night after dinner, when Harry decided talk to Hermione. He really needed her and he was sure that she could help him, considering that she had gone through this before and that things had turned out pretty well for her. So, he was more than sure that she had a book somewhere that had helped her get through it.  
"So... how are you feeling with all this?" she asked as he handed her plates to put in the kitchen sink.  
"Terrified, if I'm being honest." he confessed. "By the way, can you lend me the book?" he asked. She looked at him, confused.  
"Sure, I can lend you a book. Which one do you need?" she asked as she put plates and glasses in the dish washer. She then lead him to one of the rooms of the house that her and Ron had turned into a Library/office.  
"You know, the one you used some years ago." he said. Hermione still looked at him with confusion in her eyes.  
"You'll have to be more specific, Harry. I've read many books over the past few years." she answered. She turned on the lights in the room. Harry looked at her, annoyed. How come she didn't know what type of book he was talking about?  
"You know the one, Mione! The one you read while you were pregnant with Belle." he finally said. She looked at him, confused.  
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard?" she asked. Harry shook his head vigorously. "Well, certainly, you don't want to read about horcruxes, so... wait, you mean a pregnancy book?" she asked. Harry sighed, relieved, and nodded. "I'm so sorry, Harry, but I can't lend you any." she said apologetically. Harry looked at her, shocked. He knew Hermione was very cautious about who she lent her books to, but the fact that she actually didn't want to lend him one really hurt him.  
"Why not?" he asked.  
"Because... I didn't read any." she said, kinda ashamed by it. Harry couldn't believe it. Hermione not reading a book to know more about something? That was more improbable than the Cannons actually winning the Quidditch cup.  
"how... how come... I mean, you were reading books..." he said.  
"But not books about babies, Harry. We were on the run, remember? Having a baby at the time was unimaginable for me until I fell pregnant. I did want to know about how to take care of her once she was born, but I wasn't sure if neither or all of us were going to survive to see that day coming. Besides, it's not like I had the opportunity to get a book on the subject." she explained. Harry looked at her, kinda shocked by her revelation.  
"So... how did you know what to do when she arrived?" he asked. Hermione shrugged.  
"Instinct, I guess. The first night, I asked Madame Pomfrey about feeding her or changing her. Then, when we were in St. Mungo's, I asked healers and nurses, or Mrs. Weasley. Just the basics. After that and most of the times, I relied on what I felt was right at the moment. If she cried after half hour that I had fed her, then she probably needed a nappy change or just wanted to be held." she explained. Harry sighed, and Hermione could see he still was worried. She placed a hand on his shoulders. "You'll know what to do the minute you have your baby in your arms, Harry. And you'll see you'll do just fine." she said later.  
"What if I mess it up?" Harry asked.  
"Nothing guarantees that you won't mess up from time to time. Ron and I are still figuring things out as days goes by. Sometimes we feel we know what we're doing. Other times, we have no idea what Belle actually wants or needs. We just try to do what we feel is right for her and hope for the best." she said reassuringly. Harry sighed. "What I've learned in the past years is that, sometimes, you have to trust in yourself rather than in a piece of paper." she said as Harry looked at her with wide eyes. She laughed. "yeah, I can't believe I said that either, but it's true. You can read all you want, but sometimes what you feel is more right." she said. Harry nodded as he heard Belle laughing from the living room. If bookworm Hermione could raise her 5-year-old child without a book, then he was more than sure he could raise his own as well as she and Ron did.


	63. Sisters Announcements

*** Sisters Announcements ***

It seemed like an ordinary Sunday Weasley brunch. The air was fresh, the skies were blue and the June weather was warm and nice. As per usual, most of the Weasley family was outside, even the little (and not so little) ones. Ron was engaged in a conversation with Harry, George and Bill; Angelina, Audrey and Ginny were laying the table while Molly and Fleur prepared the food in the kitchen; Arthur was looking at some muggle device Hugo was showing him while the rest of the grandchildren either talked or played games. Rose and Scorpius were talking and holding hands in one corner while Hermione doted her granddaughters, 9-year-old Amelia and 6-year-old Lizzie, and told them some sort of story. Belle was just sat on a chair looking at them. It did seem like any other Sunday brunch at her grandparents', but for some reason, she felt it different. Perhaps it was because she knew what her little sister and her boyfriend were actually talking about, or perhaps because she herself was feeling quite odd that day. Just as Teddy and Victoire arrived, Rose and Scorpius faced all the family, bright smiles on their faces. Silence enveloped the table and everybody looked at them, expectant.

"Well... Now that you're all here... Scorpius and I have something we want to tell you." Rose started, her cheeks as rosy as her flowersake's petals. The young lovers looked at each other, smiled and giggled, and then looked back at the family and said at the unison: "We're engaged!"

Everybody got up and went to congratulate them with hugs, kisses and good wishes.

As Belle was standing up to go to them, a rush of queasiness enveloped her and she suddenly felt really weak. Her knees felt wobbly and she felt light-headed, and everything just started to fade...

She woke up a few minutes later in her father's childhood bedroom. Her husband Adam was sat next to her, a worried look on his face. Her cousin Victoire was at the other side of her, wand in hand as she performed some checking spells. After all, she was a skilled healer in St. Mungo's. Belle just looked at her, trying to read her face. Victoire looked at her.

"Welcome back, beauty! How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Like I'm going to be sick anytime soon... and I haven't eaten anything yet." Belle answered as she tried to sit down, but Adam stopped her.

"You haven't eaten breakfast either." He added. Victoire looked at him as Belle glanced at him.

"Because I couldn't keep anything down!" Belle retorted.

"It's not the first time that happens this week. Or the week before that." Adam recalled. Belle huffed. "And you haven't been sleeping that well, apparently, because you're tired a lot." He added.

"Well... There's a reason for all these." Victoire started before Belle could say anything. The couple looked at her. "You're 14 weeks pregnant." She announced. Belle sat up instantly and she and Adam looked at her, shocked, then they looked at each other.

"But we didn't..."

"It must have been..."

They said at the same time, then laughed and hugged and kissed each other.

"So, I'm guessing congratulations are actually in order." Victoire said, smiling. The couple looked at her.

"We haven't been trying or talked about it. Not after that time. And now..." Belle started, placing a hand on her barely round stomach.

"For what I could grasp with the spells, everything looks fine. But still, you have to see your healer. Want to know what you're having?" Victoire asked. Belle and Adam looked at each other, smiling.

Rose knew something was going on the minute Belle stepped into the garden. She looked different, like glowing. And she realised exactly what it was when her sister grabbed a glass of pumpkin juice instead or her usual gillyweed. Rose went to her sister and grabbed her by the elbow, taking her back inside.

"Are you announcing it today too?" Rose asked. Belle looked at her , confused.

"I'm sorry?" She asked.

"Are you telling everyone today or do you still have to wait?" Rose asked. Belle looked at her and then it started to sink in.

"Well... I... I just..." She stammered.

"You're not that far along yet?" Rose asked.

"I'm 14 weeks, actually. Wait! How do you know?" Belle asked.

"You fainted, and you're drinking pumpkin juice. AND you have that glow... the one you had with the girls." Rose said. Belle blushed and looked down. "So, are you announcing it today?" She asked. Belle shook her head. "Why not?" Rose asked, kinda shocked.

"We just found out, and... I wouldn't do it. It's your day. I'm not stealing your thunder." Belle said. Rose sighed, and Belle could see she was actually... disappointed? No, she must be wrong. It must be relief.

"I thought you were going to. I mean, it's a happy news." Rose said.

"But it's YOUR day." Belle remarked. Rose shrugged and smiled.

"We can share it." She said.

A while later, Adam and Belle were standing in front of the family were Rose and Scorpius had stood earlier that day. Everybody looked at them, expectant.

"My sister and her husband want to show you all mine and Scorpius' first engagement gift." Rose announced.

With a flick of his wand, Adam made an image appear in the air. It looked like a black and white picture that resembled a sonogram. Seconds later, Belle waved her wand and a fine pink line emerged from it, writing in a neat handwriting the words: "Margaret Josephine - joining the Weston Weasley clan earlier next Winter." Everybody shouted of joy and went to the couple to embrace them in hugs, kisses and greetings as they did with Rose and Scorpius.

It started as an ordinary Sunday brunch, but it got so much better than that.


	64. The Arrival

*** The Arrival ***

Sundays at The Burrow were always a joy. It was a time for family reunions, introductions and announcements. Almost every member of that family had shared very important news with the rest, and the new generation wasn't any different. It started with Belle and Teddy, the eldest of the kids, and their birthdays, and soon the other ones followed. Hogwarts letters, OWLs and NEWTs results were celebrated as well as graduations, jobs and engagements. This particular Sunday they were all eagerly waiting for the newest addition, which had just arrived late in November.

"What time did they tell you they would be here, dear?" Molly asked one of her daughters-in-law.

"Soon, Molly. They have been home with the baby for nearly a week. They're still trying to adjust." Hermione answered as they heard a 'pop' and two people appeared.

"Hi, nana! Granny Molly!" The almost 10-year-old blonde girl greeted, running to them. Hermione smiled and hugged her eldest grandchild. She still couldn't believe how much the little girl has grown. The chimney lit up, turning flames into green and another girl walked out of it, helped by her father.

"Careful, Lizzie." Adam said, then kissed the 6-year-old's head. Lizzie smiled and ran to her sister. The second time the floo entrance lit up, they all heard an unmistakable cry. Molly's face lit up and she left whatever she was doing in the kitchen to go and welcome the newcomers.

"They're here!" She shouted to the rest of the family as her eldest granddaughter, helped by her husband, was sitting on the couch and cradled the little baby in her arms. Lizzie and Amelia ran to them immediately.

"Is she hurt, mommy?" Lizzie asked, deeply concerned about her new sibling. Belle shook her head and smiled at her lovingly as the newborn was starting to calm down.

"She just inhaled a bit of floo powder, sweetheart, but she's ok." The young woman reassured her. Lizzie smiled and nodded.

Everybody gathered around the young family on the couch and admired the new addition that rested comfortably in her mother's arms. She had light, reddish hair and big, brown eyes.

"She's so precious!" Molly exclaimed, beaming with pride.

"Like a porcelain doll." Lilly exclaimed.

"What did you name her?" Fred asked.

"Margaret Josephine." Belle answered as Adam kissed the baby's head.

"But we call her Meg." Lizzie announced.

"Like the eldest sister in Little Women." Amelia added.

Hermione looked at them.

"They asked where I got the name from, so I showed them the book and we've been reading it since then." Belle explained. Hermione nodded and looked at the baby in her daughter's arms. Out of the three, she was the one who looked more like Belle, and Hermione couldn't help but remembering when she herself was there getting home with baby Belle for the very first time:

 _*Flashback*_

 _They had been in the hospital for a month and finally healers had told them that Belle was well and ready to go home. Hermione couldn't help but smile with pride and look at the little girl laying on the changing table. She really was a miracle, as everyone said. When she arrived, she was pale and tiny. Now her cheeks were rosy, her hair was longer and bushier (much to Hermione's like) and she was strong and bigger._

 _"Ready to go?" Ron asked from the door. She picked little Belle up carefully and held her close to her breast. She turned around, looking at him, and nodded._

 _"Have you floo called to tell everyone?" She asked, walking to him. He shook his head._

 _"Better if they don't expect it, otherwise mom will make a big fuss about it." He explained._

 _"Knowing your mother, she will make a big fuss about it either way." She said as they walked to the floo entrance. Ron decided to go first so he would catch them if they needed it. As soon as he was gone, Hermione took a deep breath and looked at the baby in her arms. "This is it. We're finally going home, sweetheart." She said. The baby stirred up a bit and looked at her. Hermione smiled, kissed her daughter's head and walked in the chimney. A while later, she was landing in the Weasley's living room and Ron gave her a hand as she stepped out of it. Little Belle stirred, coughed and cried. Hermione laid her over her shoulder and patted her baby's back softly. Ron quickly placed his hand on top of Hermione's and looked at the baby, worried._

 _"Is she alright?" Harry asked, concerned, as him and Ginny got closer. Hermione didn't answer at first. She concentrated on helping her daughter breathe and calm down. A few minutes later, baby Belle stopped her crying and laid her head peacefully on her mother's shoulder._

 _"She's alright now. She just inhaled a bit of floo powder." Hermione explained as she sat on the couch._

 _Molly Weasley walked in in that moment, confused by the commotion._ _"What in the name of Merlin is...?" She asked before she saw the four friends there. When she noticed Hermione sat on the couch holding a little bundle of blankets, she placed her hands on her mouth, smiling, tears forming around her eyes. Ron smiled at her._

 _"Belle inhaled a bit of floo powder, but she's ok. The healer told us it might happen." Hermione explained._

 _"Which is why we should have apparated instead." Ron told her._

 _"No way, Ronald! Apparition is too risky and she's way too young. There's no way in this life I'm going to risk my daughter's life again!" Hermione retorted. Ron was about to reply to this when his mother cut in._

 _"Why didn't you say anything about coming home?"_

 _Ron's face turned pink._

 _"I'm sorry, Mrs Weasley. We didn't know about it until the healer told us she was allowed to leave St. Mungo's, and we didn't want you to bother with anything." Hermione explained as Molly got closer to them._

 _"Bother?! My first granddaughter is finally home! It's not a bother at all! I better floo call Arthur and tell him... And Percy! I expect them to arrive early for dinner. Oh! And I must owl Bill and Fleur immediately and start off with dinner!" She started. Everybody looked at her and laughed at her joy._

 _"Before that, would you like to hold her, mom?" Ron asked._

 _Hermione got up and placed the baby carefully on Molly's arms. The woman had the biggest smile on her face, and Hermione was happy about it. They had suffered so much in the last year, especially the previous month. They deserved some happiness._

 _*End of flashback*_

"Can I hold her now, mommy? Millie held her this morning and I didn't." Hermione heard Lizzie complain.

"Let Auntie Rosie hold her first. She's her godmother." Belle said as she gave the baby to her sister who was looking at her with tears in her eyes.

"Really? Me?" Rose asked, surprised, as she took the baby in her arms.

"Only if you want to. We couldn't think of anyone more fitting for the job." Belle said, smiling. Rose nodded, beaming, and everyone congratulated her and gathered around to see the new arrival. Sundays were always a joy at The Burrow, and this one was no exception.

* * *

 _Happy New Year, everyone! just wanted to wish you all the best this 2020 and thank you so much for your favourites, followings and comments. I really appreciate them all!_ _if you have any ideas or anything you wanna days, let me know._


	65. Snow fun

*** Snow fun ***

It was halfway through November when the first snow covered the city, and it was Ron who had noticed it one Saturday morning while him, Harry, Hermione and the baby were having breakfast in the kitchen of N12 of Grimmauld Place.

"Have you looked outside?" He asked as Hermione was feeding 6-month-old Belle with oatmeal and Harry was reading The Daily Prophet while having coffee and toasts.

"It's quite grey. Looks like it's going to be cold today." Hermione said as she gave Belle another spoon of food. The little girl ate and smiled at her mom contently.

"But have you actually looked out the window? IT. SNOWED!" He said excitedly.

"Oh, yeah." Harry said absent-mindedly.

Ron sighed, a bit annoyed. He went and sat next to Hermione.

"So... I was thinking... How about we take her outside?" He suggested with a smiled on his face.

"I don't know, Ron. It's a bit chilly and she's just little and..." Hermione started before Ron cut her in.

"Come on, Hermione! We dress her very warm. I can even cast a warming charm on her clothes so she wouldn't feel cold. It would be fun! We can build a snowman together and she can experience snow for the first time. It could be a nice family time." He exclaimed. At this, little Belle giggled and clapped her hands. "See? She's on board with this." He added, kissing his baby's cheek which made Belle squeal in delight. Hermione looked at them and smiled.

"Alright. Sounds like a good plan." She said.

So, after breakfast was done, the little family of three went to the backyard to play for a while. Belle protested as soon as they were outside, which meant that she wanted to be down from her parents' arms and on the floor, now that she had discovered that she could use her little legs for crawling around. Ron complied and put her down, letting her crawl as she pleased around the garden. Hermione hovered over her, making sure her baby was ok. Belle sat down a few minutes later and looked at the snow surrounding her. She seemed curious about it. So she grabbed a small amount of it and looked at it. After a few seconds, she pulled it closer to her mouth. Hermione tried to stop her, but Ron intervened, stating that they should let her experience the world around her and that it wasn't going to be any harm if she ate a bit of snow. But as soon as he had finished saying that, Belle started to cry. Hermione went and picked her up immediately.

"Brain freeze. I know, sweetheart. It'll be over soon." She told the girl, reassuringly, as she rubbed her back and kissed her head.

In an attempt to distract his little girl, Ron kneeled down to the floor.

"Let's build a snowman! It'll be fun!" He said as Belle kept whimpering in her mother's arms. He started building the body when he suddenly felt something cold hitting his neck. He looked at Hermione who was suppressing a smiled. "Did you do it?" He asked. Hermione looked at him, pretending to be shocked.

"Who? Me? No! Don't be silly, Ronald! I'm not that good at aiming." She said. He turned around and kept building the snowman, and he felt something hitting him again, this time it was his arm. This time he was sure it was her. He could hear her giggling, and their daughter too. He was hit a third time, and Belle giggled harder. Ron turned his head to him.

"She's not crying anymore." Hermione announced. Ron took some snow in his hands making a small ball. "Ronald... You... You wouldn't dare. You could hurt Belle, and... You wouldn't try to hit the woman who is carrying your child, right?" She said, smiling a bit and holding Belle in front of her. Ron smiled and put the small ball on the snowman. When he noticed that Hermione had left the baby on the ground, he went to her and picked her up.

"Ron! Ron, put me down now!" She shouted. Ron just laughed. "Ronald, I mean it! Put me down this instant!" She shouted again.

"If you insist so much..." He said as he threw her in the snow and tried to cover her with it. Little Belle looked at them and laughed, her first real laugh. Ron just stopped moving and looked at Hermione who was looking at him, smiling. He leaned forward and kissed her sweetly on the lips. Belle just looked at them laughing. Snowy days seemed to be quite fun for her now.


	66. Autumn leaves

*** Autumn leaves ***

The first week of classes had flown by and they were now having breakfast in the Great Hall on their first Saturday at Hogwarts. Luckily, she had finished her homework the night before, having just an Astronomy quiz due for the following Thursday.

"So... how about we go exploring the castle today?" Teddy suggested, shoveling a piece of toast in his mouth. Belle looked up to the ceiling, which resembled the sky outside. It was a clear day.

"It's a lovely day outside. Maybe we can go to the lake or walk around the ground.," she said. The blonde boy sitting next to her nodded in agreement.

"Alright. But tomorrow we explore the castle." Teddy agreed. Belle and Adam nodded, and soon after they were finished eating, they grabbed their jackets from their dorms and went outside. It was a beautiful autumn day. The air was fresh and clear, the sky was blue and the sun was shining timidly above them all. Gold, yellow and brown leaves covered the ground. It was such a wonderful view to look at! The three 11-year-olds were walking around when suddenly Belle spotted it: a perfectly tall pile of autumn leaves right in front of Hagrid's pumpkin patch. It was so tempting! So good to be true. She stopped walking and looked at it. She could almost feel the leaves crunching beneath her, the sound they made as she stepped on them. She couldn't resist!

"... and uncle Harry gave us all that candy. Remember, Belle?" Teddy said. He and Adam stopped walking when they noticed she wasn't with them anymore. "Belle? Where the hell...?" he started before Adam nudged him.

With a big smile on her face and her hair out loose, Belle ran as fast as she could to the big pile of leaves, then jumped as high as she could, turning herself around and landing on her back on the pile of leaves. Adam and Teddy quickly rushed to her and found her laughing aloud.

"What do you think you're doing, Belle?" Teddy asked as a black dog ran to them and stopped right next to Belle. Seconds later, a big, hairy man walked to them.

"I thought I heard voices. Hey yeh, Teddy!" Hagrid said as Fang licked Belle's hands. Hagrid looked at his pet and the girl playing. "And here's Miss Granger-Weasley, I guess." he added as Belle looked at him, smiling. Adam reached out to her and helped her up.

"Hi Hagrid! Sorry about that. I just..." she started before the semi giant cut her in with a laugh.

"Yer just like yer mother! Ye can't resist a good ol' pile of leaves!" he said. Belle looked at him with her big, brown eyes, confused. "Yer mother used to do this every autumn. Her first year, she said it reminded her of her house. At that time, she wasn't friends with yer dad yet." he added. Belle smiled as Hagrid, Teddy and Adam talked about school and stuff.

The following years at Hogwarts, every first Saturday of September, Belle got outside right after breakfast and ran to the pile of leaves that Hagrid had gently racked and left for her to play with, letting her feel like a child again for a little while.

The first Saturday of their last year at school was pouring outside and they had more homework to do than any other year of their lives. So they all sat quietly in the common room. Teddy and Victoire were spreaded on the couch, talking about their next Hogsmeade trip. Not so far from them, 11-year-olds James Potter and Fred Weasley II were sat on the floor and very engaged in a game of Gobestone. Belle and Adam were sat at a table in the corner; she was working on an essay while he was staring at her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"What? Do I have ink on my face?" she asked. He just smiled, leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"I need to go to the library. I need another book for that Ancient Studies essay. Care to join me?" he asked gallantly as he took her hand in his. She blushed, giggled, and nodded, standing up. As they walked down the halls, she realized that they weren't actually going to the library.

"Adam, this is not the way to the library." she pointed out as they turned around in a seventh floor's corner. Adam just looked at her and smiled mischievously. They stopped a few minutes later in front of a wooden door. When Adam opened it, the place looked like a forest taken from a fairy tale: there were long, brown trees, which leaves were falling to an already brown-ish floor. Right in front of them, there was a fresh pile of golden and brown leaves. Belle looked at Adam, mesmerized.

"I couldn't let you leave Hogwarts without jumping on the pile of leaves on the first Saturday of school." he said, smiling. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately on the lips. Then, she pulled away and ran fast to the pile of leaves, and just as on her first year there, she jumped as high as she could, turning herself around and landing on her back on the pile of leaves, laughing aloud.


	67. The unfair letter

*** The "unfair" letter ***

"It's not fair!" The complaint from 7-year-old Lizzie welcomed Ron and Hermione to the little house in the outskirts of London.

"Lizzie..." Her mother warned her.

"But it is! So, so unfair!" Lizzie kept whining.

"What is so, so unfair?" Ron asked making the little girl turn around and run to him. Ron smiled and put his arms around her. 1-year-old Meg walked to them clumsily with a big, toothless smile on her face and her 11-year-old sister following her closely.

"Amy got her letter." Belle announced, proudly. Hermione and Ron went and hugged their eldest granddaughter. Lizzie huffed, annoyed, and her mother gave her a severe look.

"So unfair!" Lizzie said dramatically.

"Elizabeth!" Belle warned her a second time.

"Stop it!" Amelia told her sister.

"But it IS unfair! You get one and I DON'T!" Lizzie shouted.

"Because you're little!" Amelia exclaimed.

"I'm turning 8 in three months! I'm not little." Lizzie retorted.

"You're still little to get a letter to Hogwarts." Amelia said matter-of-factly. Belle sighed, throwing her arms in the air in defeat. The same argument has been going on and on since the tawny owl had arrived earlier that morning.

"But it's still not fair! I want to get one too!" Lizzie moaned.

"You'll get one in a few years, sweetheart. You'll see." Hermione intervened in a calm way.

"Why can't I get one now, nana?" Lizzie asked.

"Because rules say you have to be 11 to start at Hogwarts." Hermione answered. Lizzie sighed.

"Think about it this way: Amy leaves for Hogwarts, and that means you're the oldest sister in the house!" Ron added cheerfully. Everyone looked at him, even baby Meg who had been very little intrigued about her sisters' argument. Lizzie thought about it for a minute.

"I'll still write to you a million letters about Hogwarts, so you won't feel like you're missing out things." Amelia comforted her. Lizzie sighed and nodded in agreement.

"I still think it's unfair I didn't get a letter too, you know. At least to tell me I'll get mine soon." Lizzie said.

Amelia rolled her eyes and the adults laughed a bit. If Lizzie already thought her sister getting the letter was unfair to her now, they didn't want to know what Meg would think when it was her turn to see her eldest sister getting one.


	68. The moving

*** The moving ***

She looked at the living room from the doorframe and sighed as Ron and Harry picked up boxes from the floor and disappeared with them. It was a new start. After nearly 4 years of hard work and savings, Ron and Hermione, who had been married for nearly three months, were moving out of N°12 of Grimmauld Place and in to a small cottage in Ottery St. Catchpole. It took them almost an entire year to find it, and then 6 more months to fix it and make it theirs. It was a two-floor house with 4 bedrooms (an in-suite master bedroom, a spacious bedroom for Belle, and two others for other children that they may have in the future) and 2 bathrooms (one in the master bedroom and one down the hall) on the first floor, 2 other rooms on the ground floor that Hermione and Ron had turned into Library/office and playroom, a kitchen, another bathroom and a spacious living room, plus a large backyard and a garden at the front. It was a dream for them!

Hermione just sighed as she felt Ron's arms around her waist.

"Was it the last one?" she asked him. He kissed her cheek.

"Yeah. Everything's at home already. We just need to unpack." he said.

"Home... so weird that this isn't ours anymore. Belle took her first steps right there." she said pointing at a space next to the fireplace. Ron smiled.

"I remember. You were late from work and she was reluctant to start walking until you appeared in the fireplace. Her smile was so bright and big she didn't even realize what she was doing until she got to you and you caught her." he said, smiling at the memory. Hermione smiled as well.

"It seemed like yesterday when we were moving in here with her the first time." she said, remembering that warm day of August.

 _*Flashback*_

 _Harry and Ginny were very eager that morning when Ron and Hermione came down the stairs of The Burrow with 3-month-old Belle. Just a few days ago they had gotten a visit from Professor McGonagall (now Headmistress of Hogwarts) and Minister Kingsley to offer them future options. McGonagall offered them to go back to school, finish their studies and take their NEWTs, giving Ginny the chance to be captain of the Quidditch team and Hermione the honour of being Head Girl, which the 18-year-old girl sadly declined, stating that she couldn't leave her baby for months to study. Kingsley, on the other hand, offered the trio a spot in the Auror Training program, which Hermione also politely declined, stating that she didn't think she would take a job in the ministry if she didn't have her qualifications plus being an auror wasn't her dream job. Harry accepted Kingsley's offer almost immediately, and Ron accepted it as well after many talks with Hermione. A few days after that, Kingsley and McGonagall both sent owls to Hermione offering alternatives: the minister offered her a part-time, paid internship at the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures due to her initiative to help house elves get more rights with the creation of SPEW, and McGonagall offered Hermione tutoring at the ministry three times a week, with the chance of handing in assignments and sitting for monthly exams as well as only going to Hogwarts for NEWTs week and, eventually, graduation. Hermione and Ron talked about it and they decided she would take both alternatives as they both gave her the opportunity to continue with her studies as well as working in what she loved and taking care of her little girl. Now that their career paths were settled, they only had to figure out the living arrangements._

 _After breakfast, Harry and Ginny eagerly took Ron, Hermione and the baby to N°12 of Grimmauld Place, location that Harry had inherited from his godfather Sirius. As soon as they had gotten there, Ron and Hermione felt things differently. It no longer was a dark place in which the shoutings of Mrs. Black's portrait were heard. Instead, the hallway was painted in white colours; the living room was warm and cream coloured, and Mrs. Black's portrait was nowhere in sight. Harry explained that they had used a removable charm to take it off the walls and that they locked it in a room on the 4th floor. Ron and Hermione were marvelled by the whole renovation. It seemed like a whole new place. Harry and Ginny took them to the second floor first._

 _"Here we have what used to be Sirius' bedroom. I took some things out of it, we repainted it and I turned it into a nice room for me." Harry said opening a door at the end of the corridor. Ron and Hermione nodded in approvement. Then, they went to the first floor._

 _"There's still the library. We took out many books about blood supremacy and dark arts, but we kept some because we knew you'd like to have a look at them, Mione." Harry explained pointing at the room at the end of the corridor to the right. They turned left and Harry opened the door of the second door._

 _"I know this used to be Ron's room. We got a double bed for you, guys. We figured you wouldn't want to share a tiny bed anymore. It's quite uncomfortable. And you have some shelves and plenty of space in the wardrobes." Harry said. Hermione and Ron looked at each other, then inside the room. It was quite splendid, ideal for just the two of them._

 _"Harry, this is very considerate of you, but we can't actually move in here. This is your house. We have a baby, and..." Hermione started before Ginny cut her in with a wave of her hand, dismissing what she was saying._

 _Finally, Ginny and Harry led them to the room next to them. Ginny knocked on the door and she got another knock in return. She smiled. With a flick of her wand and the word Revelio, a big white plaque appeared with the name 'Belle' on it. Ginny opened the door to reveal the most beautiful baby room everyone has ever seen. On the left wall, there was a beautiful landscape of Hogwarts painted; on the right one, there was what Hermione recognized as the landscape of Beauty and the Beast, with the castle, the little village, the roses, and even the characters of the story. On the center of it, there was a white crib, a rocking chair and a changing table. There were shelves with toys and books around the room as well as a big window right in front of the door. George was standing next to the crib with a big smile on his face. Hermione and Ron walked in the room, looking at it all marveled._

 _"You... you did this?" Ron asked. George, Ginny and Harry looked at each other and smiled._

 _"If you look up, you'll see something you've read in 'Hogwarts: a History'." George pointed out. Hermione and Ron looked up to the ceiling to see the sky from outside._

 _"It's wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed._

 _"I'm moving in here this weekend and... I'd be happy if you moved in as well. I mean, it's only a floo away from The Burrow, and it's quite close to Diagon Alley, so we'll be at the Ministry faster. The thing is... I can't imagine not living with you guys after everything we've been through. What do you say?" Harry asked them._

 _"You know we don't have much money to pay the rent or anything, right?" Ron asked. Harry nodded._

 _"It's alright. As long as you contribute with the food and things on the house, it's ok. I know you need it for Belle, and I'll help you guys in any way." Harry said. "So?" he asked a few seconds later. Ron and Hermione looked at each other and smiled._

 _The following weekend, the three friend and the baby were unpacking their things in their respective rooms and thinking about dinner that night._

 _*End of flashback*_

"Mommy! Where's Beastie?" they heard Belle ask. They turned their heads to her and smiled.

"At home, sweetheart. With all your other toys and things." Hermione answered as Ron got off her and went to their daughter. He picked her up in his arms and kissed her cheek.

"Let's go home then." he said. And the three Granger-Weasleys disapparated from their first home.


End file.
